Prada, oh Prada… How can you not absolutely love and adore all the collections Miuccia comes up with?
If you are looking at all the catwalks, you can very well notice how Prada turns out to be one of the best (if not actually the best) contender for the art meets fashion ultimate prize. The collections all have liaison with the arts part of fashion, with how Miuccia brings wrists to do the sets and then includes them in the design of the accessories or the clothes, or both. Besides this, it is also a matter of intellectualism, of her provenance and of her perfectly done Italian reinterpretation of fashion and her blurring of the boundaries between fashion and art. She let’s her clothes make the show and indeed they do!
History of the PRADA brand:
Prada, is an Italian fashion house that was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino, in Milan. It was first called Fratelli Prada and it was a leather goods shop. Mario Prada did not believe that women should be allowed in business, and so no female family member was allowed. This thing was very ironic as his own daughter, Luisa Prada, got to own the company, as his son was not interested in the business. She was at the helm of the fashion house for 20 years, and in 1978, her daughter Miuccia took the reins and made Prada what we know today. She was not alone in this journey, it was Patrizio Bertelli who advised her into taking decisions a bit differently and into creating this awfully successful brand.
nowfashion.com
As Bertelli became her business manager, and later on her husband, Miuccia Prada had more time to devote to her creativity. And so begun the expansion of the brand to new territories! Starting in Milan and then expanding to new countries, they have built an empire out of not much and the popularity of the brand grew and grew, until it skyrocketed with their women’s wear collection in 1989.
The brand is famous for it’s clean, sleek lines, basic colour scheme and opulent fabrics.
Her Spring Summer 2014 Ready-to-Wear collection makes no difference into proving us once again that she is a creative genius and that Prada would probably not be here today, has it not been for her and her husband!
PRADA is the big one; the show that will define the season for months to come.
Which is very true! From the actual setting to the whole collection it all looked perfectly put into place: it was an art exhibition on the catwalk!
The setting, done by artists such as El Mac, Mesa, Gabriel Specter, Stinkfish, Jeanne Detallante and Pierre Mornet, who were, as Vogue states:
[Tweet “”commissioned to ‘engage themes of femininity, representation, power, and multiplicity'(Vogue.com)”]
Femininity and power strike me as obvious, as Prada is known for promoting strong female figures and a good representation of femininity. It is something that defines the brand in a way, besides the various connections with the art world.
prada.com
Art meets fashion is a concept that has recently (or maybe not) taken the fashion world by storm, it appeared in Vogue (Grace Coddington mastered it in several of her carefully done editorials), it appeared in Louis Vuitton (while Marc Jacobs was still creative director), it appeared in art fairs around the world (just check Basel, or Frieze) and it has started popping its lovely head basically everywhere in the industry. people love it, huge brand sponsoring arts? Check. Huge brands having art on the runway? Check! What better environment to showcase your art than at a Prada show? Or at any fashion show in general?
Read about Louis Vuitton in Our Top 3 Inspirational Fashion Designer Success Stories
The whole Prada collection was set in a very interesting tone! It had a slightly weird (for my taste at least) music mix, but listening to that while watching the catwalk just creates this amazing feeling of actually being there, of being part of their world and of understanding the whole concept of the collection. It just matches the vibe the clothes give you!
When looking at the set and at the clothes, you cannot possibly unsee the striking resemblances the dresses have with the whole set and this is why Prada is so magical, because everything blends so well, the music, the set, the colors, the patterns, the combinations and the clothes!
Pleated skirt and bra-shaped ruffles on the shirt
The main trend she brought in was the strong colour combination, basic, sleek, normal colors, with a twist and also the socks! No matter how much I hated those socks, everyone wears them (I am not part of the everyone, I still don’t like them!). Miuccia knows how to create the craze for something!
And it is not just that! You look at the collection, you see these rather unusual shoes, the weird socks and material combinations going crazy and boom, what happens? A trend is created!
The use of colors, as mentioned before, is rather basic, there are no pastels and cute, Barbie-like colors, there are bold, strong and rather basic colors, that blend in with the themes of the artwork behind the models, that depicts femininity and power! Miuccia Prada used colors that give power to the women dressed in them! It gets their boldness out into the wild world and it gives them confidence.
This Spring Summer 2014 collection was meant to give women power! The colors were the first step into noticing the woman, then it goes to the details. Miuccia has everything thought about for the Prada woman this season! She gives her power, then she adds the sparkle. Her unusual use of materials brings the details to the surface, from the artwork inspired patterns, to the ruffles and interesting bra-shape added patterns she shows the strong allure of the woman. She understands the woman, she creates the perfect shape for her and then sends her walking in front of everybody.
Artwork inspired dress- truly makes a statement
Not too revealing, not too covering up- and jewels added
The art-woman and the bra-shaped part of the dress
gastrochic.com
Anna Dello Russo being her awesome self in Prada SS14
Besides the dress, there is a coat with the same artwork!
Ruffles(?), beading, shine and artwork, all in one
Bold, strong woman in basic colors and clean cut
A great dress shape
Green is strong and the artwork blends in perfectly with the material
Interesting an revealing cut
Meet the details:
The shirt with the beading
The crazy shoes
The artwork bag
Close-up
All in all, Prada shows us once again that everything is possible with the catwalk! The scenario of the strong Prada woman comes through once again and never ceases to amaze us! Miuccia is a trend setter, she brings fashion back and combines it with art and her creativity flourishes.
Feature image: unsplash.com
Photo credit: Style.com
What was the feel the collection left you? Comment below and tell us what you think!
If you liked this post, then you’ll love our new e-book, which includes Top 5 Designer Trends for Spring/Summer 2014, PLUS Spot-the-Trend worksheets in order for you to analyse your closet and your to-buy list and make better decisions! Right now you can pre-order it for FREE!
