Prada Menswear said “Let’s Talk About Clothes”, and we’re more than happy to oblige. For their Men’s FW23 show hosted yesterday in Milan, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons invited audiences to consider the purpose of clothes, playing not only with aesthetics but also functionality. The collection they created was fun, featuring bold colour blocking, puffers you could melt into, and bags we’re about to lose sleep over. Here’s some of the key takeaways you might have missed.
PRADA LITERALLY RAISED THE ROOF
Prada never does anything by a half, so when audiences entered a small, dark show space for their Men’s FW23 show, the interior immediately seemed out of character. Hosted at the Deposito at Fondazione Prada, the room was low-ceilinged and plunged into almost pitch black – not what we expect from Prada.
However, the collection was intended to show the transformative nature of clothing, and audiences were treated to a symbol of this on a massive scale. As the show started and the lights came up, the ceiling of the room began to lift, expanding to an enormous height and revealing the true size of the space. Obviously, Prada only goes big or goes home.
COLLARED GREENS, REDS, BLUES, AND MORE
When we think about a classic suit, the collar isn’t often the highlight of the look. But, in Prada’s FW23 collection they were show-stopping. Featured on jackets, cardigans, coats, and more, were a spectrum of pointed collars in bright pops of colour. As the collection set out to play on modernist, reductionist styles, often appearing very minimal, the eye-catching collars added a playful element to the collection we just can’t get out of our heads. Literally, those bright flashes of collar might be burned into our retinas – no complaints, though.
PUFFERS THAT TAKE US TO CLOUD NINE
Outerwear was a heavy focus of the collection, which featured a sea of coats and jackets in various silhouettes, but undeniably the favourite was a small herd of puffers. Evoking images of inflated space suits and fluffy white clouds, the puffer-style was adapted into coats, vests, and shirts, breaking the trend of tailoring that was common throughout the collection.
What you might not know is that guests of the event actually received their invites in the form of a white pillow embroidered with the Prada logo, thus taking the image of the puffer jackets full circle. Whilst a pillow for an invite doesn’t seem totally functional, it’s fun to know that we were teased a part of the collection before we realised.
BAGS TO QUENCH YOUR THIRST
The collection was accessorised with an array of structured handle bags, each with a small metal detailing reminiscent of a flask top. The bags transformed throughout the collection from classic black and brown leather to more eye-catching shades, with one in a vibrant mint-green. Others were more texturised, made from a material resembling a kind of brushed aluminium decorated with grooves, which is typically used in construction.
Playing on the overarching theme of functionality, the aluminium texture and flask-top detailing were undoubtedly supposed to make us think about the bag’s purpose. What we really want to know is, were the flask lids actually functional and how much jager can they hold?
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons as always set out to create a collection that makes us think, this time about the true purpose of the clothes we wear on our backs. But, whilst thought-provoking and touching on an intriguing concept, their Men’s FW23 show was also aesthetically stunning and simply wearable – a hard combo to win. We’re hyped to see what their women’s collection will bring in February.
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