With barely a moment’s respite since their men’s show in January, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons are back with their AW24 women’s offering. On the second day of an unseasonably wet Milan Fashion Week, editors and guests made their way down to Via Lorenzini, eager to witness what the innovative design duo had in store. If you weren’t one of the lucky few (hundred) in attendance, fear not – here’s everything you need to know about Prada’s AW24 womenswear show.
It might have been chucking it down with rain in Milan as showtime rolled around, but it didn’t mean the front row was any less major. On the line-up? Gabbriette, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rina Sawayama, and Dazed cover stars Hunter Schafer and Letitia Wright. Joining them was Emma Watson, who made her directorial debut with a Prada perfume ad back in 2022, plus Amandla Stenberg, Yara Shahidi and Gwendoline Christie.
OUT OF OFFICE
It was a case of déjà vu for AW24, as this season’s set was the same as January’s men’s show, but with a few noticeable adjustments. The dreary cubicles, wheelie chairs, and desktop computers were gone, with only the babbling brook underfoot remaining for women’s. Seems like the Prada girl has sacked off the 9-5 and run out into the wilderness this season – and honestly, we don’t blame them.
MARIACARLA’S BACK
Mariacarla BosconoPhotography Daniele Venturelli via Getty Images
As always the runway was made up of a bunch of new faces – who now with a Prada show under their belt you’ll surely be seeing everywhere – but back on the runway after a whole decade was Miuccia’s fave, supermodel Mariacarla Boscono. It was on February 20, 2014 that Boscono last graced a Prada catwalk (pretty much ten years to the day), wearing a sheer fur-trimmed dress and slim red tie knotted around her neck. Much like this season, that AW14 collection was a continuation of the previous men’s show, both drawing inspiration from the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. So for those confused as to why the same babbling brook was running under our feet this season, Mrs. P has always made collections that are in conversation with one another.
MRS P IS SHAPING HISTORY
From the pit after the show, Mrs. Prada gave fashion’s press some insight into the show. “History teaches you everything. Especially in difficult moments,” the designer said. “This is a collection shaped by history. It’s not about nostalgia, it’s about understanding. Who we were, why we dressed like that. It’s about remembering our past, using this knowledge to move forwards.”
NO TO NOSTALGIA
Prada AW24Photography Daniele Venturelli via Getty Images
…but yes to reinterpreting Prada codes anew. On the line-up for the new season were new takes on the wafty, light as air mini dresses seen for SS24, as well as a bunch of neat little cardigans and prim sweaters in wild shades of zingy mustard, bubblegum blue, punchy scarlet, and that brilliant bad taste purple we saw at men’s. Best of all though were the nipped leather moto jackets and upside-down, back-to-front wiggle skirts: bizarro Prada moments at their best.
HEADGEAR RETURNED FOR AW24
Prada AW24Photography Daniele Venturelli via Getty Images
Elsewhere, we couldn’t keep our eyes off some new headgear variations that dominated the catwalk. Some took the form of draped velvet creations reminiscent of turbans, others referenced the pheasant feather pillboxes of the 1950s, while the sea captain hats from the men’s show returned, but this time covered in even more feathers. Prada’s women’s collections have gone pretty much hatless for years (the last ones we can spot are the snakeskin bonnets of SS20), so it’s quite the change to see such dramatic forms make their way down the runway. If this season really is about learning from the way we used to dress, it makes sense that the designers would reference things like pillboxes and sea-faring caps, which are strongly associated with the past.
