MILAN FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2022: PRADA
PRADA Strips Fashion Down to the Bone in their Minimalist Take on Fall 2022, Showcasing Simple Logo-ed Vests, Jackets to Take (Space) Flight in and Skirts that Expose All.
All Image and Video Credit: Prada
A shocking pink trench coat – one of the only bright pieces in this collection
As always, in the hour prior to the Prada show there was a nervous buzz in the Herculean space with its monumental gold columns as the several hundred in the audience – complete with face-masks – mulled about, finding their seats and settling in, waiting for one of, if not the most special event in Milan’s Fashion Calendar to unfold.
Celebrities like Kim Kardashian West (in dark glasses, cordoned off by tight security) sat beside the likes of Rita Ora and Storm Reid. The collective thought was, what have the high priestess of Milan fashion Miuccia Prada and her legendary co-creative director since 2020, Raf Simons, in store for a rather embattled world of fashion lovers for Fall 2022? The anticipation was palpable, the energy tangible.
Models started appearing from a science-fiction-like lavender tunnel, hair swept back into an updo, minimalist in every respect, faces clean and almost make-up free as if actors in a futuristic space drama. Models included girls who walked for Prada 2 decades ago now – the likes of Erin O’Connor, Elise Crombez, Liya Kebede, and Hannelore Knuts together with newcomers like Hunter Schafer. Clearly Miuccia Prada and co-director Raf Simons looked back with nostalgia – not just at the clothes from previous Prada collections, but also at the human factor from previous shows – and evidently felt strongly about including much of the company’s historic past into the Fall 2022 show.
As for the clothes, simple white tank top vests (reminiscent of a very young Kate Moss’ campaign for Calvin Klein in the Eighties), this time with that unmistakable triangular Prada logo sewn squarely at centre front, were the basic building blocks around which this collection was constructed. They were paired with textured taffeta midi skirts, sparsely embroidered with sequins or hemmed with square rhinestones – but on the whole transparent, exposing legs from mid-thigh down. Having said that, some of these crystallized skirts exposed models’ briefs (again, one can’t help but cast your thoughts back to Calvin Klein in the Eighties!). Jackets were oversized and verged on being overpowering – boxy and wide, with overly long sleeves. Ribbed and finely woven Shetland wool sweaters in neutral shades added to the contrast, layering and were casual yet impactful.
The unlikely combinations in this collection are perhaps the most exhilarating thing here – these are layering pieces that can effortlessly take one from your home to the office and to a fancy dinner party. The traditional herringbone tweed coats with their rings of shaggy faux fur and feathered ‘wings’ in inspired shades – from acid green to salmon, are perhaps the most memorable pieces from the collection. These are coats and jackets one feels you can take flight in! Boxy shearling jackets got a similar faux fur treatment, albeit somewhat more restrained. A leather trench coat in Schiaparelli’s trademark hot pink was perhaps the only (colour) exception to a collection that oozed inner power, but certainly not in a ‘look at me!’ manner.
Make no mistake, these are power suits, albeit paired down, 2022-style: easy to wear, minimalist and neutral, showcasing our ‘inner power’ and resilience after two-an-a-half years of lying low. They’re not showy pieces, the ethos here being one of cautious optimism, in the wake of a pandemic and as the world holds it breath in the light of the most recent world events unfolding in front of our eyes. After the show Miuccia Prada allegedly expressed, “You want to live again, to be inspired. And to learn from the lives of people.” Let’s hope that ‘learning’ is the operative here – for humanity and for fashion – as we drool over these most covetable of pieces in this Fall 2022 collection.
Watch Prada’s show here:
A take on the traditional: a chocolate brown Shetland wool jumper over a skirt with contrasting textures
T-top vests are layered over a skirt with oversized sequin flowers
A scooped-neck charcoal coat with Prada’s logo-chain detail
A boxy slate grey jumper over a pleated wool skirt, wedged Mary Janes complete the picture
Contrast! An oversized jacket encrusted with sequins dwarfs the flimsy taffeta skirt below
Sequins so large, they’ve become flowers on this parka
A petrol green khaki leather jacket over a textured, ribbed skirt
Colour-blocking and textures at play here
Unusual combinations that work! Mirrored boots and crochet
Futuristic and reminiscent of the Sixties
A traditional herringbone tweed coat gets the faux fur treatment
Acid green faux fur embellish this tweed coat
Pink shearling trims on this woolen coat
A camel coat gets the salmon fur treatment
An oversized jacket with overly long sleeves worn over a transparent skirt and white vest
A boxy aviator’s jacket worn with heels and dainty handbag
Simplicity and minimalism don’t ever need to be boring!
Chocolate brown feathers add drama to a double-breasted jacket
Feathers on the shoulders of this sportswear jacket elevate it to something very special
