THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 5.52pm
More than almost any other designer, Miuccia Prada offers a true fashion experience with shows that demand more of her audience - emotion and intellect. It is why there is always a buzz to her shows, as the industry anticipates what she will do next and how she will dictate trends for the coming season.
You can feel that excitement as you approach the Prada venue on via Fogazzaro as the crowd bustles past handsome security guards in perfect suits. Brown carpet stairs greet you inside, and as you climb, menacing, moody music adds to the atmosphere. As you reach the top, you see it: surreal indoor dunes in the middle of the room, made from 150 tonnes of lilac-coloured sand.
6.16pm
As late guests are seated, the crowd analyses and interprets every detail they've taken in so far: each a carefully constructed clue as to what's to come, from the invitation - an austere beige plastic-covered linen card - to the canapes (think chocolate squares on dry bread). The purple sand, the brown carpet, the trippy spoken word and wave pre-show soundtrack. What can it all mean?
6.45pm
It's time. The lights come on, the music plays and out walks the first model: Gemma Ward, making a surprise return to the runway after six years. The Australian supermodel, who became famous in 2004 for her doll-like look, opens the show in a double-breasted navy coat with bold top stitching.
