Prada returned to New York for its Resort 2020 show, marking the label’s second show in the city. This season, Miuccia Prada took to the historic Piano Factory in lower Manhattan, where glowing neon lights created a glossy, rose-tinted vision of the rugged 19th-century industrial loft. In the same vein as its previous shows, Prada’s latest runway opted for spare design marked by concrete forms — “Industrial meets domestic lounge,” the Italian house described.
The Prada Resort 2020 collection, entitled “Seditious Simplicity” mixed kitschy ’70s codes with collegiate charm, rife with pastoral florals that expressed the theme’s “domestic” element. There were small hand-embroidered flowers on peasant blouses, dollhouse calico florals rendered as picnic frocks, and disc scarves that looked like daisy chains. Girlish A-line silhouettes were met with boyish varsity styles, as seen in the summer plaid blazers, striped button-down shirts, knit sweater vests, and tan suede outerwear. Accessories boasted leather bowling bags and Prada nylon backpacks, while footwear ranged from canvas tennis sneakers to T-strap Mary Jane heels, all worn with ribbed crew socks.
In distinct contrast to Autumn/Winter 2019‘s dark, brooding tone, this season’s collection was bright-eyed in its focus on humble materials and simple tailoring. There was a youthful naivete that was “the opposite of pretentious,” Miuccia told Vogue backstage. “It’s simplicity as a protest against too much. I’m sensitive to the political situation; it affects me.” Indeed “Seditious Simplicity” was a respite from the increased complexity of the world, pulling back to the common language of clothing that focused on intimate, small details with a handmade touch.
Editor
Joanna Fu