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Prada F/W 2017

Art / Architecture / Design / Fashion

Prada

Fall/ Winter 2017

Leave it to Miuccia Prada, a lover of underground references and eccentric pairings, to join creative forces with 92-year-old artist Robert McGinnis, the enigmatic figure behind some of film’s most iconic posters, on Prada’s fall/winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection – and the artist’s first ever fashion collaboration.

Posted October 29th, 2018 By Colby Mugrabi

McGinnis, culturally identified by his commanding illustrations of strong female characters that have graced the film posters and covers he’s produced over the decades, is responsible for the ladies gang eponymously termed “The McGinnis Girls.” While history may interpret these characters as provocative or overtly sexual, it’s just the opposite; McGinnis made waves through his work by portraying women as the real forces behind film, visually juxtaposing feminine figures as superior to any leading male.

McGinnis’s ubiquitous influence on Prada’s fall 2017 collection was felt everywhere from the show’s fabricated environment to the garments walking the season’s runway. Faux movie posters were plastered on the set’s surrounding walls, while covers of 1960’s pulp-fiction novels with names like “A Taste for Violence” and “Marked for Murder,” which originally featured McGinnis’s illustrations, were reimagined as prints, giving his “McGinnis Girls” new life as femme fatale fashion symbols. Babydoll dresses, sleeveless tops, and ostrich feather-trimmed skirts served as vehicles for his timeless illustrations, styled with Prada’s perfection and ease.

The collection read as a celebration of womanhood, it’s inspiration spanning the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. Crochet bralettes, with not an underwire in sight, felt like a nod to early female liberation. Patchwork coats, angora skirts, and glitzy embroidery followed suit. Seashell necklaces, and furry shoes fastened with large buttons added to the arts and crafts elements seen throughout the show, while oversized tweed coats and tromp l’oeil messenger bags left us yearning for the late 60’s and early 70’s.