Turning metaphorical blue collars white, Prada Fall 2022 Menswear drew inspiration from classic workwear styles, enlisting a star-studded cast of decidedly non-blue collar citizens to model the collection. Titled ‘Body of Work’, the collection saw co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons turn their gaze onto the storied history of workwear, infusing classic codes with the reality-based yet slightly otherworldly appeal of theatre and cinema.
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Imbuing the collection itself with a slight sense of unreality was the parade of Hollywood’s greats walking the runway. Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives actor Kyle MacLachlan opened the show, later joined by the likes of Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Asa Butterfield, Damson Idris, Tom Mercier, Jaden Michael, Louis Partridge, Ashton Sanders, and Filippo Scotti. Closing the show was none other than Jurassic Park actor and serial printed Prada shirt wearer Jeff Goldblum. The use of star power in Prada Fall 2022 recalls the Italian luxury fashion house’s fall campaign from exactly a decade ago, with cinematic legends Willem Dafoe, Jamie Bell, and Adrien Brody dressed in classic Prada styles.
“The collection celebrates the idea of working, in all different spheres and meanings,” said co-creative director Miuccia Prada. “The collection celebrates the idea of working, in all different spheres and meanings. It is a practical, everyday thing. But […] every aspect of reality can be elegant and dignified.” And so, both blue collar utilitarian workwear styles and white collar office attire were given the Prada treatment. Boiler suits were cut from colourful silk; trench coats took shape in jewel-toned leather and featured exaggerated shoulder pads, as did darkly-hued corporate suiting; classic coats were made eccentric with shearling trimming; field jackets were tightly cinched at the waist; and safety gloves colourful materials were featured heavily.
“Here, everyday reality is valorized, its signs and signifiers exchanged with those of elegance and sophistication,” said Prada and Simons in a joint statement. “Through this interplay, a merit and worth is afforded to human endeavour at all levels: perceived uniforms of employ achieve new importance.”
Words by Theo Rosen
