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Prada F/W 2018

Art / Architecture / Design / Fashion

Prada

Fall/Winter 2018

Posted February 25th, 2018 By Colby Mugrabi

The setting of Prada’s fall/winter 2018 runway show was quite literally a living, breathing ‘Pradasphere’ – riffing on the title of the Italian brand’s 2014 traveling exhibition and self-published book, by the same name. As show-goers were escorted up to the fourth floor of Rem Koolhaas’ latest, soon-to-be-open structure as part of the expanding Fondazione Prada, they were greeted by a dark abyss of railroad tracks, sprinkled with towering neon signs; a landscape of Prada filled with the brand’s fluorescent iconography. From bright bananas and monkeys, to flame heels and spiders, the surrounding imagery set a self-referential tone for the show to come, a continuation of themes seen in the brand’s pre-fall collection shown in Milan in January. The show opened with strong looks in black neon, a trademark material of the brand’s, and evolved into an exhilarating spectacle of iconic Prada emblems and textures; shaggy, fluorescent colored fringe, originally shown in black for fall/winter 2007, flame heels from spring/summer 2012, ID badges carried through from pre-fall 2018, and the return of Prada sport! There was texture mixing galore, industrial materials contrasted with delicately embroidered tulle, and heavy tweed bustiers atop feminine pleated dresses, representing a contrast between femininity and utilitarianism that has come to define the Prada woman over the past three decades. It seems for fall/winter 2018 Mrs. Prada had a glorious time digging into her own archive for inspiration, resulting in a feverishly modern collection of Prada staples reworked and remastered by the one and only Miuccia Prada.