MFW AW20: Prada

Rosalia Temmuz 01, 2021

Prada - Casual Made Chic

Prada provided a fierce runway this season with a lot of people talking about it on social media. The past two Prada runways have been shows that have had a clear theme. Last season we saw impeccable tailoring, and the season before had a lot of gothic and military themes whilst the theme song from the X-Files played in the background. What I am trying to say is that Prada know how to theme a runway and carry it through the pieces.

In more interesting news, Raf Simons of Dior and Calvin Klein fame has joined with Miuccia Prada, to work on the creative direction of Prada together which can only be a good thing. Prada has remained relevant for a good number of years and remains dominant within the designer category. This runway certainly displayed Prada's dominance.

Picture from Vogue

Autumn/Winter 2020

The tailoring for this runway was on point! I mean if you want to see the best example of how to tailor a piece, take a look at this runway. It is the ultimate in feminine power dressing. Miuccia has definitely taken inspiration from the 1940s but has taken it into modern times. The suit in the picture above is the ultimate display of dressing for me and I will definitely be taking inspiration from this look for my new job.

I love how the suit jackets have these large shoulders but a belt is used to draw in the waist so you do have this hourglass shape. I just think it is stunning. These jackets then go down into these hyper feminine tassle skirts or a skirt with a long split in it. I love how they have this element of playfulness when it is such a serious brand.

Picture from Vogue

Last Autumn/Winter we saw the gothic runway which was heavily inspired by military pieces. This military shape is sort of still present. The shaping of these blazers, with the large shoulders, the belt bags which have that utility vibe and even down to the camel and charcoal colours that they come in. It is not quite as obvious as last A/W but it is certainly there.

Picture from Vogue

Alongside these more formal, business-like outfits there are also more casual elements and these outfits display ways of dressing casual but still being very feminine. There is a lot of knitwear this season with tassels or fringing which personally I can leave but they give that 1940s impression. I love that these knitwear pieces have been paired with a light mesh skirt which gives something relatively shapeless a timeless femininity.

Picture from Vogue

Mesh/Organza features a lot throughout this runway; whether it is as an overskirt to these colourful tights or as an overdress to a more casual piece. This extra layer would not provide any warmth but it certainly gives an extra cool factor. It also dresses up what would be a very casual outfit. That seems to be something that Prada are going for, incredibly casual but done more professionally than those of us who sit in a pair of joggers and an oversized t-shirt when we are at home.

Picture from Vogue

Without being a brand like Off-White or Louis Vuitton, Prada do seem to be doing a pretty good job of keeping up with some streetwear elements and they that have a surprising amount of influence. I have seen a lot of people with the re-edition 2005 nylon bag and even more people with the multi-pochette.

The mini Pochette definitely reminds me of the Louis Vuitton version but that sold out so quickly, no one could get their hands on it. The Prada nylon bags are everywhere but on the runway they have gone for more classic bags. Instead the streetwear comes more in the form of logos.

Obvious branding hasn't always been the main focus on the runway, especially the Prada runway but this season, Prada have gone back to their classic logo and have used it on some of the more casual pieces like the shirt in the picture below. I quite like this because it does go back to the early 2000s which seem to be popular for the brand at the minute.

Picture from Vogue

Based on This Runway, What Should You Add to Your A/W Wardrobe?

Logos Forever - After NYFW and LFW I thought the logo trend was dying down but it seems MFW has come to resurrect this dying trend. This season it does seem to be a little more subtle though

Colourful tights - I spoke about this in the Markus Lupfer showcase, I do not like these colourful tights at all. It is not a trend I would buy into but I respect that some people might want to so I have included it in this section.

Mini bags and Nylon bags - There were a lot of mini bags on this runway, so small that no one could fit their phone in it, except Derek Zoolander and his tiny phone. Also present on the runway were some of the Nylon bags which are ever so popular with influencers.

Elevated Casual - Towards the end of the runway when the more formal portion of the runway was over, there was definitely a more casual turn. However, the accessories used took casual from looking like you could be making a quick run to Tesco to something you could actually go out in.

I can't wait to see some of the designs that Miuccia and Raf come up with together. I am also intrigued to find out if this sort of set up would work, typically two creatives don't necessarily work together well as they have different visions. I hope it works out for Raf as he was wronged at Calvin Klein!

If you want to see more of the Prada runway, here is a link to the full collection on Vogue: Prada Autumn/Winter 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collection