RUNWAY: Prada FW11

Miuccia Prada is one of the most polarizing designers around; after every collection, you either love it or hate it. Many in the fashion press laud all her collections; usually we instantly love her menswear collections as well. However, for Fall/Winter 2011, we sat down all day wondering if the collection was a hit or miss.

Was it too retro? Were the silhouettes too boxy? Were the britches and dropped crotch pants just too much? The fabrics and textures (suede, Lurex with chunky rubber soled shoes) mixed with the bowl cuts were...odd, to say the least. Did we mention the ultra-boxy outerwear?


In the end, we realized that the idea behind the clothes - the inspiration - was what drew us to the collection: a fresh face going off to create a life for themselves. Maybe their entire life is inside those large leather bags. We're always marveled by Prada's dark and twisted sensibility and the poetry that is ever present in her collections. This collection was no different; the way the models walked through a two-story "house" then left to walk alone into the dark and lonely world, a cold slab of concrete under their feet and their path illuminated by a single light. It could be a metaphor for how we live our lives, first starting out in a home full of love and warmth but in the end, we must walk the very last part of our lives by ourselves.


The clothes will likely be edited and pared down for buyers before they hit the boutiques and department stores in a few months. Whether you loved or hated it, there no doubt that this collection, like many (if not all) of Prada's collections will have a lasting and far reaching influence on fashion, and menswear in particular.