Dissecting Prada's Fall/Winter 2018 Collection
Miuccia Prada is hardly one to get nostalgic. Under her direction, Prada has come to be known as a luxury fashion house at the forefront of innovation, setting trends years before the rest of the fashion world catches on. If Cristóbal Balenciaga was haute couture's conductor as Christian Dior had once famously declared, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that Prada fills those shoes in the world of ready-to-wear.
However, even the forward-thinking Italian designer is susceptible to falling into the same patterns as her contemporaries, which in this case means venturing into one's archives. Fendi recently celebrated its Roman heritage with a capsule collection featuring its FF logo from 1965; many of Gianni Versace's iconic creations and prints have lately been revived at his namesake label; and Maria Grazia Chiuri has ceaselessly emphasised on Dior's storied legacy through her designs sincing joining the couture house. For Fall/Winter 2018, Prada followed suit.
The collection opened with a padded black coat in nylon — the fabric that Prada had introduced to the world of high fashion back in 1984 through a line of backpacks. That move was a revolutionary one, elevating what was once merely an industrial fabric into a symbol of luxury.
This season, Prada nodded to the history of her beloved fabric through a range of neon-coloured utilitarian pieces. There was protective outerwear in the form of padded coats, parkas and vests; one model even wore a top that was zippered at the front, which is quite possibly our new favourite place to keep our phones.
Dresses got the plastic treatment too. Models were clad in bodycon gabardine dresses, their silhouettes blurred by a futuristic tech fringe with reflective surfaces. (Sarah Paulson pulled off a fluorescent green version recently for the Ocean's 8 premiere. Needless to say, she stood out.) The collection's array of technical nylon garments were layered with lots of feminine tulle, creating that distinctive contrast that we know Prada has a penchant for.
In a world dominated by plastic-wrapped heels and hybrid sneaker-boots, you probably think you've seen all there is to see when it comes to footwear. Think again.
This season, models walked down in rubber boots and sporty Velcro sneakers, while countless others zipped down the runway in leather pumps that featured cinched nylon uppers. Talk about extra protection.
Perhaps the most intriguing of them all were the stiletto heels, which were fastened by nylon drawstrings.
Forget the sweets pastels you saw back in Spring/Summer 2012. This season, the flame heels are a lot more badass, coming in feisty new shades like hot pink and fiery orange.
The reason for the colour update? "For the strength of women going out in the violence,” said Prada. “My dream is for women to be able to go out in the street and not be afraid. I wanted to have the freedom exaggerated.”
From the sleek red strip of the Prada's nineties Sport Collection to the bananas and hanging monkey motifs of Spring/Summer 2011 all of Prada's old icons were on display throughout the collection's stable of sunglasses, bucket hats and bags. Some even featured the 1980s triangle Prada logo that was first seen on the aforementioned line of nylon backpacks by the Italian brand. These symbols mingled with some of the brand's newer ones, such as the dinosaurs and robots printed on tote bags. This season, Prada also debuted a house logo that appears to be propelling forward — an apt metaphor for the brand's unfalteringly pioneering vision.
Discover the entire Prada Fall/Winter 2018 collection below:
