Disclaimer: time travels quickly and what was new is now being examined in retrospect.
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Miuccia Prada showed her fall collection yesterday
in Milan - it was a collection of great precision and familiarity. It was
nostalgic, even, in the way it collaged the past collection of Ms. Prada
together. Her greatest hits, so to speak. Nevertheless, it was a collection of
remarkable distinction: it was a darker fantasy than we've seen in her past few
seasons, reveling more in the silhouette of a film noir woman rather than that
of a Twiggy type.
The set lent itself generously to that of a melodramatic
film, playing very much with industrial settings and shadows. I couldn't help
but elicit images of Jane Russell in that infamous haystack, what with the
thermal Henley shirts and soft sweaters draped across the model shoulders. It was a interesting
mix. Prada's woman was both shrouded in despair and mystery (see: wet hair,
sultry undershirts) whilst remaining incredibly forceful, as she always manages
to make her woman. For one, Ms. Prada worked with her thick wools to create armor
out of the feminine shape of a bell skirt. Hits of her fall 2009 collection
(jeweled wool coats and thick-soled platforms not unlike that of a fisherman's
boot) were ample, this time around embellishing the asymmetric skirts.
What struck most significant about this collection
- beautiful clothing aside - was the actual concept of revisiting past works.
Miuccia Prada never has a shortage of ideas, so to go back to her old favorites
was quite an interesting decision. For one, I think it represents this greater
need and importance of revisiting the things that we've done well - and do them
better. This collection was a healthy synthesis of all the main ideals of
Prada: the soft vs hard, masculine vs feminine, luxury vs practical, beautiful
vs ugly. Yet, the synergy was done in a way that didn't compromise the subtleties
and qualities unique to this collection.
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