PRADA SS24 MENSWEAR

The Prada Spring 2024 men’s collection delivered a thrilling showcase of fluid tailoring that left the audience captivated. As Nine Inch Nails’ “I Want To Fuck You Like An Animal” set the atmosphere, the show reached its spectacular climax, evoking a collective ooh of satisfaction from the crowd. It happened as the third look—a fringed print white shirt paired with black schoolboy shorts—graced the industrial meshed steel runway. Suddenly, irregular lines of slime emerged from the ceiling, cascading down on either side of the models, creating an otherworldly spectacle. The viscous substance settled into a pale green puddle, slowly dissipating. In its sticky descent, it conjured images of Slimer from Ghostbusters or the iconic scenes from Alien, invoking a sense of playfulness and pleasure.

According to Mrs. Prada, the aim was to infuse fantasy and ideas into the collection, embracing the present time. Collaborating with Raf Simons, they dressed the models in ensembles that reflected the relationship between the rigid runway mesh and the glimmering plasma that erupted from it. The starting point was a tailored silhouette, featuring broad shoulders accentuated by removable pads, a cinched waist, elongated jacket skirts, and sleeves. Below, high-waisted bottoms ballooned around the groin from the naval, thanks to generous side pleats, before tapering down to the ankle.

Simons explained that this silhouette aimed to echo the heroically enhancing tailoring paradigm of the 1940s, but with a Prada twist. Heavy wools of the past were replaced with ultralight modern equivalents, while the jackets maintained a liberating and unconfining feel akin to the lightest poplin shirt. Simons highlighted the importance of considering the body and its constant movement, suggesting that traditional sartorial construction often restricts the body’s freedom. Artists such as H.R. Giger and Joseph Beuys served as inspirations for the collection, with Giger’s Alien and Beuys’ disembodied editions of his rabbit felt suit influencing the designs.

From this weighty yet lightweight foundation, additional elements began to emerge. Floral shirts took a Prada-evolutionary step forward with fringing and exaggerated sleeves, pushing boundaries beyond the brand’s iconic Hawaiian shirts. Traditional shirts were transformed into full-length coats through a peculiar growth spurt. Denim jeans with a relaxed fit were paired with functionally expansive multi-pocket work gilets, while fine-gauge knit shirting in navy revealed luxuriant furry tufts, adding texture and depth.

The gilets returned, this time in faux fur, perhaps as a subtle reference to Beuys, as the color palette transitioned from the initial black to softer blush tones. The three-button Beuys jacket shape underwent a metamorphosis, resembling a sailing parka but crafted from technical nylon and weathered leather. Towards the end of the show, pockets and flowers merged and intertwined on blush and pale coffee brown shirting. The pockets were incorporated into the shirting, with painted resin flower ornaments sprouting from them. True to Prada’s signature style, this menswear collection aimed to stimulate the intellect as much as any other part of the body. It also aligned with the current trend of reawakening masculine sexuality, displayed provocatively at DSquared2 and sensually at Dolce & Gabbana this season. The runways of Milan pulsated with a renewed and diverse expression of masculine allure.