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Prada’s Chandelier Chic

Hanging miniature chandeliers from Perspex high heels might seem a tad tricky, and enmeshing models in string vests of crystals could sound like a tall order, but these were just some of the novel visual takes that shone out in the brilliant, stylistic tour de force that was Prada’s latest runway show, staged Thursday night, Sept. 24, in Milan.

“It was high-end luxury meets very trashy. Modern femme fatale,” Miuccia Prada said backstage, sipping on a small glass of sparkling prosecco after unveiling her Spring 2010 women’s ready-to-wear collection.

The luxury was apparent even before the first model appeared on the two-sided catwalk, consisting of the interior, polished marble lobby and exterior stone and steel courtyard of a virtual, and very swish, old hotel with echoes of "Last Year at Marienbad," the 1961 French film directed by Alain Resnais about a luxe party that takes place at a chateau. The audience was divided by a huge neo-classical façade on which were projected chandeliers, sea-views and Grand Guignol imagery.

It was a peek-a-boo moment where Prada’ s fatal ladies were spotted through the half-dozen arches of the façade, strolling out in stiff silk shorts, miniature jackets that flared at the hip, or mini capes, cut in layers that twirled at the back.

Hems were left frayed, fabric unstitched, and throughout, there was a slick yet disheveled air, from the frizzy, quickly pulled back hair and fiery red lipstick. Though grand, the mood was also edgy, with lots of leg, giddy Perspex platforms, transparent tote bags and a series of clutches made in a leather that mimicked the imagined stone Venetian building.

The other element that wowed was the extraordinary prints, either bustling bunches of flowers, some composed by snapshots of bunches bought from local street vendors, or some beautiful idealized beach scenes, images of hundreds of tourists frolicking on sand.

“We took so many photos to capture an idealized beach. But, in the end, we used images from a pretend beach inside a leisure complex in Japan with fake sand. It was the most convincing,” laughed the designer backstage.

The show climaxed with a half dozen gals in crystal mesh tops and dresses, or fabulous breastplates that were opulent and nearly too far-fetched. No doubt, manufacturers and copiers worldwide will be scratching their heads working out how to re-make this look at a different price point. This collection will be highly influential in terms of global trends.

Exceptionally well staged and backed up with a great Frederic Sanchez soundtrack – mixing New York rap, industrial roars and soaring orchestral strings - this show was, altogether, the best staged, best thought-out, coolest and cleverest seen so far in the international four-city season of New York, London, Milan and Paris.

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