Milan Fashion Week is so far as expected: wild. From Diesel’s butt-plugs to Fendi’s Lagerfeld homage, it’s only day three and we're already on a journey.
So when Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons served up something a little more low-key for Prada’s Spring/Summer 2023 womenswear collection, it was an all-round pleasant surprise.
Before the show started, the crowd – 90% of whom were sporting the Italian house’s $1,000 tank top – gazed across a minimal all-black paper set designed by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn.
Though Refn didn't design the set for Prada's menswear presentation earlier this year, his vision almost appears to be the inverse of what we saw earlier back in June.
In stark contrast to Milan back in June, womenswear carried a much darker theme in terms of both aura and the collection itself.
Models – each walking wearing the same shoes but in differing colorways – showcased garments that let luxury detailing do the talking, instead focusing on meticulous tailoring and delicate fabrics, as opposed to the shock factor many others have relied on so far this week.
Elegant yet understated in equal measure, SS23 felt like a lesson in letting collection take centre stage, with little-to-no fanfare around it.
Whether the moody-yet-pleasing businesswear undertone will follow throughout the remainder of Milan Fashion Week remains to be seen, all we're certain of for now is that the Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons era continues to be a resounding success.
