Prada revisits 2016 silhouettes and adds vivid layers in Milan show

Prada’s latest men’s show in Milan on Sunday afternoon revisited silhouettes from the house’s fall 2016 collection while introducing softer shoulders and bright outerwear. The first coat out was a sprawling double-breasted opera coat — dark, knee-length and tight to the body — and about a third of the looks had an hourglass shape with soft shoulders.

Models wore their hands in pockets so the hems flapped and shirt cuffs protruded over coat sleeves. Asked how that silhouette countered what is prevalent on the market, Miuccia Prada said, "That’s fashion." Raf Simons added, "It’s also very comforting in a way, that very soft shoulder — it’s not hard," and said, "We did want to make that statement." The collection also featured techy raincoats in egg yolk, spearmint and aubergine layered over trench coats like guillotined capelets, belt-waist anoraks including a pistachio green one worn with a matching beret, and a tan mac whose surface peeled away to reveal houndstooth beneath.

The critic was less sure of a striped medical-type smock (which buttoned up the back) and a red U-neck knit cami. Jacob Gallagher wrote that at Prada he looks for "things that feel alien" and that the show gave men’s fashion a nudge toward new shapes and spry colors. He said he wondered whether pieces such as the peeling mac coat will be seen on the streets in years to come, writing, "I wonder if I’ll see that coat on the streets of Milan in 2036.

Key Topics

Culture, Prada, Milan, Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons, Menswear