A masterclass in the artform of restraint, the Prada SS22 collection brings pared-back allure with a series of firsts. Notably, Prada SS22 is the first live runway since Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons joined forces for the luxury Italian fashion house. Now, the duo have opened with a bang, with simultaneous shows staged in Milan and Shanghai. “Doing these shows simultaneously demonstrates a new possibility,” states Prada co-creative director Raf Simons in the show notes. “Community is a vital idea: drawing together people who share ideologies, values, and beliefs.”
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Choosing to renounce words like ‘elegant’ for fear they seem too staid, Miuccia Prada instead describes the show as being “about a language of seduction that always leads back to the body. Using these ideas, these references to historical pieces, the collection is an investigation of what they mean today.” Dubbed ‘Seduction, Stripped Down’, the Prada SS22 explores varying concepts of the art of seduction, looking back at history with a modern lens.
A far cry from the overtly sexy stylings displayed by the newer generation of fashion houses and designers like Jacquemus, Supriya Lele, and Nensi Dojaka, Prada SS22 eschews sheer garments and an abundance of cutouts in favour of a contemporary take on retrospective ideas. “Pieces trace ideas and outlines of dress – the memory of a train, the bones of a corset, the curve of a brassiere,” read the show notes. “They are stripped to their bare essentials, their core. Their architecture is inherently tied to the body, and therefore to seduction.”
Seemingly outdated takes on womanhood like corset boning and defined bra cups are removed from their traditional context and transposed onto denim jackets and knitwear. Elsewhere, corsetry is subverted, with the exposed stays serving not to cinch the waist, but to draw clothing away from the figure. Tiny duchesse satin skirts play upon tradition, condensing the long trains of an evening gown into a simple extension of fabric. Duchesse satin sheaths appear seemingly conservative until models turn to reveal an entirely open back, with unfasted bows trailing fabric and exposing just a hint of lingerie.
The Italian fashion house perhaps encapsulates the essence of the collection best, deeming Prada SS22 “a seduction through reduction.”
Words by T. Angel
