MILAN FASHION WEEK MENSWEAR SPRING/SUMMER 2027: DAY 3
PRADA
review by MAREK BARTEK
all images courtesy of PRADA
The Prada Day has finally arrived! Have you been impatiently waiting for it as well?
Despite the temperatures in Milan reaching soaring 36 degrees, the crowds outside Fondazione Prada were as large as ever. Some things never change; every season brings a new round of speculation about what Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons will do next, and this time around the mystery was only amplified by the invitation and teaser campaign, both of which hinted at a gaming-inspired world.
And yet, upon entering the Deposito, we were welcomed to a very different fantasy many expected. The space was almost entirely white. Transparent benches marking the route of the models sat on top of a raised glass floor revealing the raw concrete beneath it. Bright, futuristic and slightly disorienting, it felt like walking into a retro digital landscape, with the soundtrack following that same sense of disruption. Pulsing techno opened the show before unexpectedly giving way to Vivaldi, only to return to electronic beats moments later. For the finale, the choice of James Last and Gheorghe Zamfir’s Einsamer Hirte — especially since we’ve just seen a bright yellow denim set — made the mind instantly go to Kill Bill.
As for the collection itself, Ms. Prada and Mr. Simons set themselves a challenge of creating something new out of the familiar. Their starting point wasn’t fantasy, but some of the most ordinary garments imaginable — including five-pocket trousers, leather jackets, V-neck knits and shirts. As signora Prada explained after the show, the ambition was to work “against exaggeration” and “against useless design.”
The opening look was a showstopper on its own — partially for its stark simplicity, partially for the choice of a model. Casting Julia Nobis to open a menswear show was a bold move and yet another point on the long list of disruptions this collection presented. White trousers paired with white shirts and white denim jackets or black blazers looked deceptively simple, but nothing was quite what it seemed. Familiar silhouettes were reworked through unexpected materials, altered proportions and subtle interventions. Prada rarely needs grand gestures to make a point.
The defining feature of the collection was undoubtedly the silhouette. While much of the industry in Italy continues to embrace oversized, relaxed dressing, Prada moved firmly in the opposite direction. Trousers were cut slim, jackets sat cropped high on the waist, and knitwear highlighted the body. Skinny is back — at least according to Miuccia and Raf — and it looked incredibly chic. More importantly, it felt convincing because rather than simply reviving an old trend, Prada rebuilt an entire wardrobe around it.
The collection also felt like one of the clearest expressions of the Prada and Raf Simons partnership to date. The intellectuality of Prada was present throughout, but so was Raf’s fascination with youth, subculture and awkward beauty. There were moments that could have easily belonged to a Raf Simons collection: narrow silhouettes, cropped leather jackets, exposed waists and an almost obsessive focus on the body. Yet everything remained unmistakably Prada.
Sensuality was another big part of the collection. For a show rooted in wardrobe staples, there was an abundance of skin on display. Sheer shirts and trousers revealed the body underneath, and cropped jackets repeatedly exposed strips of bare midriff. Some of the strongest looks paired leather jackets with knitted vests, creating combinations that felt slightly wrong and therefore entirely right. It was sexy, but not in an obvious way. It was Prada sexy — intelligent, confident and just a little ugly.
House signatures appeared like hidden clues for those paying attention. The iconic rhombus motifs were reimagined across knitted vests and printed trousers. Tiny nylon pouches hung from distressed belts. Asymmetrical sunglasses disrupted otherwise classic looks. Even the accessories felt integrated into the clothing rather than existing as separate statements. Nothing was loud standalone but everything contributed to painting the whole picture.
Perhaps that is what made this collection so fantastic. Fashion often feels trapped in a cycle, where every season has to be louder, stranger and more spectacular than the one before it. Prada offered us an insight that familiar can still feel exciting. Rather than searching for the next big thing, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons looked at the garments already surrounding us and asked how they could be seen differently. Radical, sure! Visionary, one hundred percent!