Prada A/W 2014

Two female models wearing looks from Prada's collection. One model is wearing a black and silver piece, brown neck scarf and black jacket with gold trims. Next to her is a model wearing a grey roll neck jumper with a red and black sleeveless piece over the top and she is holding a brown bag with chain handle. At the edge of the photo is a another model wearing a purple jacket with mustard coloured trims

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Miuccia Prada packaged her womenswear show space in Milan in the same heavy-duty mover's felt we saw for her menswear show one month ago. Oddly enough, the power tool vibe had more to do with the girls than the boys this season, as Prada worked her women's outerwear into the proportions of giant cardboard moving boxes. Although they were cut like a 2-tonne container, these coats built slowly and effectively into decorative, even feminine, pieces. Prada's main design conceit was her magnificent colour blocking, which she achieved on stiff wool coats trimmed in contrast taping. From there, both the materials and the décor went into happy overdrive, moving to black and gold shearling trimmed in colourful cherry, lemon and rust curled lambswool. The effect - when paired with monochrome neck scarves, white plasticised wedge boots, and flat leather handbags - looked artfully assembled and brought a new graphic quality we have yet to see in burly ranger coats. Underneath all the beef were wispy 1930s inflected dresses cut from slinky silk satin or completely transparent chiffon. It is true that many designers have tackled the sheer story over the last three seasons but none have done it like Prada, who offered hers up in a circular silhouette, trimmed with tufts of feather and fur. That, coupled with the new triangular piping on printed dresses and matching criss-cross straps on single-sole wedge pumps, gave us plenty of newness to dwell on.

Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Four female models wearing looks from Prada's collection. One model is wearing a green, black, gold and patterned piece and purple neck scarf. The model next to her is wearing a light orange, black and patterned piece and brown neck scarf. The third model is wearing a light purple neck scarf, red, black, grey and white pussybow blouse and a black and brown striped piece over the top. And the fourth model is wearing a yellow, brown and black pussybow blouse and purple neck scarf. All four models are holding bags with chain handles on their shoulders

Three female models wearing looks from Prada's collection. One model is wearing a red long hair fur piece and red neck scarf. Another model is wearing a brown neck scarf and black dress with red straps and detail. And the third model is wearing a mustard coloured neck scarf and black dress with silver straps and detail

Four female models wearing looks from Prada's collection. One model is wearing a purple neck scarf and yellow coat with off-white and red fur trims. Another model is wearing a red neck scarf and purple coat with off-white and orange fur trims. The third model is wearing a black neck scarf and black coat with red and orange fur trims. And the fourth model is wearing a dark coloured coat with brown fur trims

Four models wearing looks from Prada's collection. One female model is wearing a black neck scarf, orange and purple patterned dress with silver detail and she is carrying a silver bag with chain handle. Another female model is wearing a black neck scarf, brown and teal patterned dress with silver detail and she is carrying a bag with a chain handle. The third model is male and he is wearing a dark coloured neck scarf, yellow, red and black top and black suit jacket. And the fourth model is female and she is wearing a a white patterned piece with gold detail

JJ Martin