Stitching a Dark and Decadent Past: Prada Milan Mens Autumn/Winter 2014




If you ever doubted that fashion moves in circles, the Prada collection for Autumn/Winter 2014 will leave you with no illusions. But this is not the retro throwback you might expect: Miuccia Prada is never one to rest on her laurels, and here she combines the season’s classic browns and purples with subdued materials to overhaul what might be described as “Grandpa Chic” into something undeniably avant-garde, downbeat and even slightly unsettling.

The German-culture flavor harkens to a darker time, emphasized by pallid models who seem almost uncomfortable in their tight jackets and off-kilter scarves. The Eastern-bloc modesty contrasts with the palette of yellows and reds, speaking of the Art Deco debauchery that represented the other side of the Cold War story. This contradiction is no mistake: “It was about the high and the low,” Prada has said, referring both to her collection and to the time from which she has drawn her influence.

Despite the undertones of darkness, there is a humanity to be seen in Prada here: the sheepskins and poor furs are unabashedly front-and-center, a stark contrast to the indulgent furs and luxurious minks of past collections. Circling around and then back again, this mix of pauper and prince is classic Prada.

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