Following the Fall/Winter 2021 men’s show last month, Prada and its plush, white fur-covered floors were back for the new women’s collection.
Filmed on the same set used for the men’s show, the presentation ramped up the raving vibe that was more subtly introduced last January.
Models moved between a multi-textural environment, filled with faux fur and marble, amidst an original soundscape created by Richie Hawtin aka Plastikman. These contrasting backdrops were a visual representation challenging the disparities between purpose and intention.
‘’There is a desire of movement and energy, it’s not just about dancing, it’s about the whole idea of move’’, said Raf Simons, who stressed the collection aimed to convey a sense of ease and comfort. But always with a high fashion quotient, as expected at Prada.
The Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons co-created lineup featured a mix of psychedellic prints, faux fur, and sparkling sequins, honing in on the sartorial sensory experience they began exploring with the men’s collection.
As with Prada and Simons’ latest menswear collection, bold prints and colorful layering were keys.
There were crisp, monochromatic suiting separates over colorful, printed second-skin tops and leggings; flowy, calf-skimming dresses and skirts paired with tight graphic turtlenecks and heavy platform shoes made for stomping; geometric knit collars on cocoon coats. Black and navy were linked with jeweled tones and pastels – purples, blues, greens and yellows – while sequins were paired with slick leather.
It went beyond simply juxtaposing two seemingly opposite textures, though. The collection felt almost like an exercise in discovery: by simply looking at it from a different angle or by peeling back a layer, you found a brand-new fabric, print or embellishment you hadn’t noticed before – furry vests draped over to reveal a pink sequined lining, black dresses that seemed to slice open across the front or down the back into a knit floral pattern.
‘’Transmutation, transfiguration. The fundamental, integral idea of change – that intrigues us. Transmutation is the word we return to, in the concept of something that transforms slowly, shifting and changing, becoming heightened’’, Simons said. ‘’There are many more contrasts in this collection – retro and futuristic, embellished and minimal, sports and elegance – because we are combining them, hybridizing them, creating something that seems new’’.
