23 January 2012

Prada FW12: Dr. No gets a makeover

PradaMensFW12
Style.com
I don't think anyone would disagree with me if I said that one's first ever Prada show is one of life's highlights that are impossible to forget. Well, I am a very lucky guy and I got to experience this first hand last weekend during Milan Fashion Week.
I first got goose pumps (of excitement) as I entered the venue and walked up the stairs with a 20-metre Prada logo staring back at me. The actual show space was a stunning square open space with columns running down its middle and four blocks of seats on each side. The only decoration element and the most striking was the huge red carpet with geometric motifs. It was a simple but very strong setting.
The clothes were quite different from what we've seen over the last couple of seasons. In recent collections Miuccia has looked at the past quite a lot (50's, 60's, 70's) and updated the look to make it "Prada" but also very modern and current. This time she has done a little of that by slightly referencing the 60's but she's done so in a very different way. The feel of the collection is very much futuristic rather than contemporary –"Retro-futuristic", if you will– like a new take on Dr No. The emphasis was on outerwear –double-chested knee-lenght overcoats in either in simple cut wools, printed fabrics with astrakhan collars or even jacquard, which almost looked like dressing gowns.
The collection was all about formal attire but it didn't take itself too seriously. Here's also where the VIP guests came in –Garrett Hedlund, Adrien Brody, Jamie Bell, Emile Hirsch, Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Willem Dafoe all missed the Golden Globes to wear Miuccia's creations in Milan. Bell, Oldman and Brody were formal and serious, professional. Roth and Hedlund were goofy, they were having fun.
It was definitely one of those shows that people talk about for years and I am so glad I got to be a part of it! Watch below my video of the finale and click here to see Miuccia taking a bow.

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