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The theme of Prada's fall 2016 collection today was premonition; the strong sense of foreboding one feels right before something unpleasant happens. And by the looks of the fashion industry's current disheveled state — the uncertainty of the fashion schedule, the growing list of burnt-out designers, etc. — we can't deny that there is, indeed, something in the air.
With this collection, Miuccia Prada took us on a metaphysical journey that involved strong surrealist undertones. Carrying over the sailor motif from the menswear collections a few weeks ago, the designer sent models down the runway in button-up shirts emblazoned with retro-inpired paintings, little white sailor hats, and rich gold brocades on everything from pleated dresses and skirts to midi-length coats.
The unabashed queen of the ugly-chic aesthetic, it wouldn't be a Miuccia Prada show without some delightful paradoxes, like her decision to pair streetwalker-ésque corsets with dainty floral dresses and demure argyle socks.
Following the lead of several designers from Burberry to Tom Ford this month, Miuccia Prada announced mere hours before her show began that two of the handbags featured on today's runway (the Cahier and the Pionnière) would be available for purchase at Prada stores starting tomorrow. And with this seemingly small step, the designer chose a side in the debate on the fashion calendar's supposed brokenness — one with the direct consumer in mind.
The pocket-sized coin bags, seen dangling like little charms around the models's necks and belt loops (slides 2 and 10) are sure to be a hit come September, and those artfully-cheeky drawstring hooded jackets (slide 4) prove that elevated athleisure is probably not going anywhere any time soon. See all of the dreamy looks in the gallery above.