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
