You walk into a Prada show as if you were entering a maze. You don’t know where to get out once you got in as you are busy figuring out what’s happening around you. Does the set give it away? This time a giant lonely house set up below a wooden path with booming techno lights and sound. At the end of the day, it is always about the clothes, the preferred language of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. Prada seems in better form than ever clearly taking pleasure and stability out of the fact that her son Lorenzo Bertelli has taken a major role in the company in communications and on the board of directors. Plus, the groundedness she feels as a grandmother only seems to enhance her dedication to the Prada name. Could it be that her son in the company might be the more important succession than the creative one? She was on fire backstage while talking about this men’s collection which challenged the convention of seeing clothes. What looked like heavy tool belts were fake just like the closures on polo shirts created trompe l’oeil effects. But fake or real as in fake and real news is just a minor cultural strain these clothes were channeling. No, a whole new set of superhero villain codes was created by using the artwork of long overlooked French artist Bernard Buffet whose rendering of a clown shown under a loose shirt with pleated pants created the creepy but so desirable vibe this show always brings into the conversation of men’s wear. Also, all the yellow and green knitwear had a Batman and Robin vibe. Sure, there were a little bit too many branding triangles but the lightness of the tailoring was breathtaking and made this a mega hit. When asked by a journalist if there was a feeling of escapism in this collection, Prada quipped that she simply hates the concept. Life is about reality, dealing with it, living it, ideally in clothes made by Prada.

Bright yellow knitwear

Staple Prada-ism: Wrinkles