KEY POINTS:
Miuccia Prada's theme was lace for her womenswear show with heavy, Chantilly-style fabrics for a Spanish mantilla mood.
The predominant color was black, worked dramatically in a straight dress over a pale pastel blue tunic or worn with barely nothing at all for a sexy twist to the traditional textile.
Prada spun out of black into startling bright orange for a straight lace skirt, or used gold for a glamorous jacket and skirt. And she lightened the texture for a black chiffon dress banded with net curtain panels.
The idiosyncratic designer's collection was shown in Milan's winter 2008-2009 fashion week but snow and ice had little to do with Prada's outfits. She has been in the forefront of designers moving away from an emphasis on seasonal inspirations.
Her models wore shoes that had wings back and front, or bows to the toes and heels, in bright metallics and black patents. A pair of boots turned out to be leg covers stopping just above the ankle gladiator-style.
Wings cropped up again for the handles of bags, or in undulating panels on dark grey wool dresses.
And she echoed her menswear show from January by taking a twist to tailoring, so that a waistcoat became a flat panel fastened at the back or a waistband was amplified into nearly a skirt.
- REUTERS
