When I heard from The Imagist, that Miuccia Prada would be displaying her wares on girls with sexier figures, I felt hopeful yet slightly wary. Lets be frank for a minute, most designers don’t know how to design for anyone who isn’t built like Sasha Pivovarova and the whole “sexy” model goes editorial (read: unsexy and vaguely frumpy) thing was played out last season. The thought of seeing another poor girl lose her figure in yards of muddy colored patterns was really not what I was looking for.
So naturally, I tuned in for the erratic & jerky Prada.com live feed like everyone else…
What I saw – through static and constant freezing – was a collection that was pleasant, if slightly confusing. There were plenty of those mud colored prints, not to mention a few garbled, graphic numbers that bordered on monstrous. No one deserves to be in green brocade, it is cruel and unusual. In a few months I am sure that Marie Amelie-Sauve or Grace Coddington will convince me that these prints are genius, but for the moment they register as just plain unappealing.
Before I am accused of sipping the proverbial Haterade, I will say that there were also a great many things to enjoy about this collection. The overarching emphasis on an hourglass shape was divine. You can’t go wrong with a wide skirt and a nipped waist, even when they’re styled (read: massacred) with thick stockings that appear to have been decorated by Hostess. Once these pieces are off the runway and styled properly they’re sure to become closet staples.
As always the accessories were perfection – those bow covered shoes will be mine, recession be damned! The candy colored heeled loafers weren’t bad either. Outwear, another Prada cash cow, was also strong – the cinched and belted coat on Natasha Poly just might be the perfect double breasted topper. Add in the caramel colored leather and fur looks, plus the subtle black patterned dress coat and you have the makings of an impressive outwear showing.
ESSENTIAL LOOKS:
The thing with Prada is that no matter how much you may hate one piece in the collection, there is always another that you wind up loving. So while I find exactly half of this collection downright confounding, I covet the other half. There is a good chance that I’ve picked the wrong half to adore, but I am fairly certain that Miuccia will forgive me: probably after I buy a pair of those shoes.
SansArtifice 
Ditto… Although I think it’s more of fashion getting away from the tough rocker image of last Fall… I like the lady like appeal and I don’t mind the muddy colors every now and then… Dying over the accessories…
I for one am always excited when the hourglass comes back– here it just happens to coincide with a lady look that I also enjoy. I’m in my 30s and these shapes are much more wearable for me in my life.
Those prints were largely a turn off for me as well, although there were a couple of coats towards the beginning in dark brown that I thought worked. But the solid pieces were more appealing for the most part. And that coat on Natasha really was a stunner. Gorgeous silhouette.
That green top you posted above looks even worse when you can see the bust caving in. From the front it was just an ugly print, from the side it’s a lost cause.