Prada Menswear S/S 2021 Milan

[Phuel]

Even if it’s a bit off-topic, I remember that in We Margiela, they said that most of the things Margiela did was a result of him being inventive with No Money. Yes, he worked with Gaultier but he was a « young » independent designer who couldn’t book Glamorous places to show his clothes and therefore, who couldn’t pay the images rights for the models he used. So, he hide their faces, hired anonymous or new, very newcomers (like Kate Moss). Ultimately, at one point it became part of the identity and they played on the anonymous mystique around the brand.

Absolutely. That era produced design visionaries who constructed dreams and worlds from what resources they had. This era’s “designers” gives us… hoodies.

That era of fashion sincerely felt genuine and brutally honest in how designers took risks with everything they had. And still was such a quiet revolution in the spirit of Arte Povera artisans that pushed a new fashion identity and aesthetic forward and onward that remains relevant and impactful to this day not just with the designs, but their shows and campaigns, and aesthetic. I feel so fortunate to have grown up and be educated in that period that only demanded the very best. Along with the likes of Helmut/Jean Colonna/Ann, their more anti-fashion movement never feels contrived nor calculated— unlike a label such as Vetements…. Designers today are too focused on achieving fast-stardom and fast-fame, and too self-serving to land that coveted role for a LVMH corporate brand so that they can make bank and post their glamorous life on SM. There’s no one who is willing to invest the time to innovate and challenge with a new design vocabulary while paying tribute to the past. It’s all about nostalgia and blatant, lazy rip-offs. And let's not even get into the ones that exploit identity-politics to sell overpriced basic hoodies and tees. (And now even middle-aged fashion victims are desperate to snatch up some basic Jacquemus cotton safari-hat that looks just like any other one you can get at any generic outdoors shop. What other reason to own it other than the stupid logo on it…).

Sadly, this is what Prada has devolved into: Everything that her greater past would have rejected. This collection is only passable because of the rich history that came before it. But it in no way does it compare to the label’s glorious past. (If I were a women, I’d be a cautiously hopeful. But the men’s is such a lost cause.)

 

[helmutnotdead]

Absolutely. That era produced design visionaries who constructed dreams and worlds from what resources they had. This era’s “designers” gives us… hoodies.

That era of fashion sincerely felt genuine and brutally honest in how designers took risks with everything they had. And still was such a quiet revolution in the spirit of Arte Povera artisans that pushed a new fashion identity and aesthetic forward and onward that remains relevant and impactful to this day not just with the designs, but their shows and campaigns, and aesthetic. I feel so fortunate to have grown up and be educated in that period that only demanded the very best. Along with the likes of Helmut/Jean Colonna/Ann, their more anti-fashion movement never feels contrived nor calculated— unlike a label such as Vetements…. Designers today are too focused on achieving fast-stardom and fast-fame, and too self-serving to land that coveted role for a LVMH corporate brand so that they can make bank and post their glamorous life on SM. There’s no one who is willing to invest the time to innovate and challenge with a new design vocabulary while paying tribute to the past. It’s all about nostalgia and blatant, lazy rip-offs. And let's not even get into the ones that exploit identity-politics to sell overpriced basic hoodies and tees. (And now even middle-aged fashion victims are desperate to snatch up some basic Jacquemus cotton safari-hat that looks just like any other one you can get at any generic outdoors shop. What other reason to own it other than the stupid logo on it…).

Sadly, this is what Prada has devolved into: Everything that her greater past would have rejected. This collection is only passable because of the rich history that came before it. But it in no way does it compare to the label’s glorious past. (If I were a women, I’d be a cautiously hopeful. But the men’s is such a lost cause.)

this is the kind of commentary that I find beautiful and honest -and you know, with a strong argument-. but at the same time it gets me into depression when I take a few minutes to think about how embarrassing the fashion world became.

 

[Royal-Galliano]

laughable. some of the knitwear pieces were nice but i wouldn't embarrass myself showing this to the world...

 

[Legolas]

It’s still a fashion show. And casting and set is as much of an important component as the clothes— and in some cases, even more important and what can elevate a collection to legendary status. (Even Margiela’s models with the covered faces was a stylish statement that’s become a signature and not so much a protest statement to further elevate his maverick-status.) If it’s only all about the clothes, then go to the showroom or wait until the stores carry it. Casting and setting matters for a fashion presentation.

(If anything, the current state of the world should push these multi-billion dollar brands to be more creatively innovative in their presentation-- not to par down to such lazy blandness.)

True, it's so important to analyze the casting as a part of the show, but in this case, the comment was out of place... sorry but I have to say it: saying that those male models have huge circles under their eyes that make them look like prisoners, sounds like an overreaction that writers from The Devil Wears Prada would use in order to make Miranda sound more dramatic than she already is.

For real, it's just natural puffiness, have you ever seen it in daily life? I've seen many people with this feature, even children, it's just something that some are born with... like for example Benoni, he has always looked like that, Simon too. Just look at their early career pictures. In high fashion, there are TONS of models with this feature, but only a few, like Vlada, make it iconic.

Also, the make up the went for and lighting here doesn't really help to desguise it, but it's really nothing that needs to be hidden anyway. I don't really see the point of making such a statement. Not a single model here has the typical real darkness around the eyes and the paleness that usually comes with it, when you actually look ill.

 

[Reggie63]

A little late, but anyway. I just found the clothes really lazy in terms of design and I loathe the fact that most of the looks have logos on them.

Minimalism is at Prada's core, and that's what we fell in love with the brand in the 90s. I see the relevance of such pared back - simple - clothes in the context of Miuccia defining the essence of Prada for her last solo outing. However, fabric development played a crucial role in the minimalism during this era, and in my opinion, Miuccia's past focus on fabric R&D propelled some of the most brilliant Prada collections in the past. Those new fabrics and how those inspired minimalist design and silhouettes were a big part of why minimalism was groundbreaking. Nylon is a Prada signature, granted, so I understand its use but the absence of any type of fabric innovation made this simple collection fall somewhat flat. This collection just became a retrospective - not that that is necessarily a bad thing, if somewhat lazy.

Miuccia said that she was going for simple clothes upon which people can imbue with meaning. With the logos, these simple clothes became just so banal. We've been seeing this devolution of "fashion" become increasingly defined by basic garments emblazoned with logos. Could these simple clothes become vehicles upon which the wearer can affix meaning (as Miuccia claims she intended for this season) when for most buyers, the value of these garments solely lie on the logo that it has? As much as I'm a fan of hers, she really should stop trying to convince that these commercial mass-tige strategies come from a deeper thought process. It's just so desperate to convince her long-term fans who care for intellectual design and narrative that the brand hasn't sold itself out.

People love that this season remind us of what made us fell in love with Prada. It also does that for me but it made me miss of the Prada that was and despondent of what it is and will be.

 

[kasper!]

She was wearing a look from her very first RTW collection. It was a historic moment. Grazie Miuccia!

image via thesnobeffcet/weibo

 

[perfect blue]

Is this her last collection before Raf starts designing for Prada? I'm a little bit confused on what their plan is.

 

[RaisinBoy]

Is this her last collection before Raf starts designing for Prada? I'm a little bit confused on what their plan is.

Yes. Raf's first contribution is supposed to be for SS21.

What remains to be seen is whether Raf can be a good partrer to Miuccia. Given the recent weak collections--from both Miuccia and Raf--I can't but wonder what Prada would look like if Manuela Pavesi, Miuccia's friend and creative partner, was still alive. I do very well understand the fragile and intimate nature of a creative partnership, and perhaps both Miuccia and Raf miss that--sometimes it only takes a minor input to make things fabulous. And that's what I hope Raf will bring to Prada. Despite everything, he still has it in him, and they can help elevate the best in each other.

 

[AmeliaElectra]

Overall safe collection, perhaps that's smart for the upcoming recession. Some solid looks for men, can't go wrong.

For my personal taste, some OK looks are:


VOGUE.COM

... but the really awfull definitely is:

Plus those leggings underneath make it look so dated, 2007ish, and the sad hair is not helpful. It looked out of place in the collection.