BEHIND THE STITCH: ALANI
June 21, 2024
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At Milan Fashion Week, Prada‘s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, co-designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, offered a fresh perspective on femininity. The designers moved away from traditional power suits, presenting bold dresses that emphasized comfort and liberation over conventional beauty standards. The collection featured oversized shift dresses and fine tailoring, aiming to provoke discussions about women’s fashion choices and their need for protection in a modern context.
The show commenced with an innovative take on the little black dress, reflecting the challenging global climate. Prada and Simons envisioned a collection focused on freeing women from restrictive feminine silhouettes. Loosely constructed garments, playful knit dresses, and pajamas transformed into daywear highlighted the designs, emphasizing freedom of movement and subtle glamour through embellishments. Notable attendees included Hunter Schafer, Maya Hawke, KARINA, Byeon Wooseok and Gal Gadot.
The runway showcased roomy skirt suits, dresses, and coats reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s, marked by Audrey Hepburn collars and pearl buttons. The absence of evening dresses signified a departure from decadence, with subtle glamour conveyed through jeweled brooches and high heels. This approach highlighted a blend of contemporary fashion with dramatic elements, reflecting the realities and aspirations of modern, powerful women.
Prada’s collection also embraced vintage-inspired separates with intentionally awkward proportions, creating a challenging yet cool aesthetic. This design philosophy encouraged a redefinition of sophistication, focusing on the beauty found in imperfection and the unexpected. The collection stood as a powerful reminder of the human element in fashion, celebrating individuality and creativity.
The presentation further underscored its disruptive ethos, with models walking across a two-level runway made of unfinished scaffolding, contrasting with a regal blue carpet. The dramatic, low-light cinematography, inspired by David Lynch, created a visually arresting experience that complemented the collection’s themes. This setting symbolized the human desire to connect and create, aligning with the collection’s focus on instinct and emotion.
Accessories embraced a spirit of experimentation, featuring fluffy trapper hats with cheerful prints paired with understated sweaters and dress pants. Delicate floral brooches adorned sharp, tailored blazers, and Western boots made bold statements when combined with slim-fitting slacks. These daring pairings invited viewers to reimagine menswear as a realm of endless possibilities, where instinct and emotion take precedence over logic and precision.
Backstage, Prada and Simons discussed the deeper meaning behind the collection, focusing on human nature and basic instincts as tools for fundamental creativity. They aimed to challenge the sterile perfection often associated with artificial intelligence in fashion, celebrating the real-life process of getting dressed, including mismatched combinations and unexpected risks that lead to personal style.
The collection’s unpredictable combinations and raw elegance redefined menswear, proving it can be both daring and deeply personal. By embracing instinct and emotion, the designs challenged traditional notions of sophistication, encouraging wearers to trust their instincts and experiment fearlessly. This approach stood as a powerful reminder of the beauty found in imperfection, especially in an era where technology often overshadows the human touch.
As Milan Fashion Week continued, Prada’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection remained a highlight of the season. Its message of individuality, creativity, and authenticity resonated beyond the runway, inspiring audiences to rethink their approach to fashion and self-expression. The collection wasn’t just a showcase of garments; it was an exploration of what it means to be human, reminding the world that true elegance lies not in perfection but in the courage to embrace imperfection.
Prada’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, under the creative direction of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, offered a transformative perspective on modern fashion. By focusing on liberation, instinct, and the celebration of imperfection, the collection challenged conventional beauty standards and redefined sophistication, leaving a lasting impact on the fashion world.
