Prada has been on a design high. And they continue to intoxicate

When fashion weeks teeter more and more towards the trashy, to the extent that there are barely any clothes to see, it is hard not to describe Prada’s latest collection as chic—a word increasingly hard to use accurately. To be sure, Prada is not partial to the scanty or meretricious. Even if they showed skin or the body, it was usually sheathed, or under fringing, the flourish closest to frivolity. They were so polished in their imagining of what clothing should be and how they could be worn that, at one time, they were known for their “lady-like” looks. But that does not mean they offer only the prim or the neat, just beautifully-skewed proper, with a wry but happy disposition. The same can be said of the spring/summer 2024 collection.

As in the past, Prada singled out ‘classic’ garments and stripped away their enduring quality or, as was the case in the latest show, sheathed them with enigmatic mistiness. This season, the shift, a tailored dress seen before in collections past, was bestowed the honour. It appeared set among the clouds. If 嫦娥 (Chang Er), the goddess of the moon, were to visit (she is due in a week’s time) and needed a dress for modern times, this might be something she’d pick. The gossamer organza overlays had wisps that floated in the rear as would befit the earthly dress of a celestial being. Sometimes, they moved as if the thinnest sheets of 米纸 (mizhi or rice paper) were set to catch the air. Who needs ungainly Victoria’s Secret wings when you can have fluttering Prada flaps?

This was Prada at its most beguiling and kooky. And the partnership of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simon at its most inventive and inspired. If you unpacked the collection, the typical Prada shirts, cardigans, and suits were there, in fine form no less, but somehow they did not appear to be playing the leading roles. Prada was just playing down their significance while playing up the shorts as dressy (they were so beautifully shaped, like inverted chalices), shawl as integral to the garments (draped over the shoulders, like Arabic keffiyehs), and fringe skirts as counterpoint to the soberness of the looks (but worn high up the waist as if they were serious office wear). Even dresses came with fringing (that went below the knee), taking the garments leaps away from dowdy.

Embellishment was employed in place of print: There was a Twenties sensibility to the silvery embroidery, which suited the nearly flapper styles of some of the fringed dresses. But the collection was not era-specific. Between the two creative heads, the generations did mix and frolic. Elegance was thrown off the tangent with the utilitarian—one oversized jacket that could have come from Barbour was worn with a shirt destined for the office and a sheer pencil skirt with an inner mini version. Blazers with ultra-long shirt sleeves (Mr Simons’s input?) were, as seen in the men’s show in June, tucked into shorts (some worn under those alluring fringed skirts). Fashion shows should not only be about appealing clothes, but also how to wear them appealingly. Prada sure took that approach. And compellingly.

Screen shot (top) and photos: Prada