Man’s relationship with nature was the theme of the latest Prada menswear collection shown Sunday in Milan, the artistic highlight of the Italian menswear season so far.
A visual discussion announced by both the invitation – a silver silk tie inside an artist’s folder containing an image of an autumnal forest – and an immense new set.
Guests entered the show through a rabbit warren of workstations with desktop computers showing one word – Prada. Inside, a vast forest floor, though three feet below an all-glass surface, all illuminated by a series of office lights. Orson Welles’ ‘The Trial’ meets ‘The Blair Witch Project‘.
Even if never expressed, the underlying mood was fear of environmental self-destruction. Into which walked a fast-moving cast, as if late for a professional appointment, keen to get somewhere to save the planet. Before an audience all perched on classic five-wheel swivel chairs.
“Personally, I found the whole set pretty scary,” conceded Miuccia Prada, in conversation backstage with her designer partner Raf Simons.
Together they created a collection, much of which subverted many “architectural” fashion codes. Sending out oversized vented jackets cut short, even as the side pockets were placed extremely low. Dreamed up tweed jackets fairly wrapped and finished with fluted sleeves. Or sculpted mega wide conical peacoats and cabans.
Then just as the set juxtaposed nature and office, the silhouette suddenly varied to pencil thin nylon weave hipster pants worn with slimline khaki spy raincoats. Half the pants were completed with woven leather belts, so wide they could have been cummerbunds. The fabrics too were in stark contrasts – from Donegal tweed to stretchy nylon.
Fabric ideas source “from the sixties, to today, to Wall Street, to challenge the materials’ relationship to clothing,” explained Simons.
Practically every model wore a skull cap or beanie. Many walked in lace ups with no heel but interior wedges, or colorful monkish sandals. Almost gliding over the glass floor, where beneath moss and lichen met ferns and fresh leaves.
Belgium-born Simons added that one inspiration was the nostalgic tradition in neighboring Holland where when rivers and canals freeze and families from 11 cities come together via ice skating.
As a result, the working, thinking and businessman encountered even the sailor, as latter looks included peacoats, skipper caps and tugboat captains’ coats. Working ideas from the Avant Garde of the 20s to plays on Raf’s own rhombus nylon flight jackets.
In part, playing on some of the ideas first mooted in an exhibition called ‘Everyone Talks About the Weather’ staged recently in the Prada Foundation in Venice.
“There were so many political things attached (to this collection) even if we don’t want to speak about that,” noted Miuccia, surrounded by two score of iPhones recording her explanations.
A collection greeted with enormous and prolonged cheers and applause. Miuccia and Raf taking their bow before a front row that included Jake Gyllenhaal, James McAvoy, Damson Idris, Paapa Essiedu, Li Xian and from long-time rival football rivals, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham (a Manchester United scion) and Trent Alexander Arnold, the Liverpool star known as Double A, who is the best striker of the ball in modern soccer.
“I’ve been to a few fashion shows before this felt like another level,” marveled Double A.
That’s because it was.
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