Once again forcing us to question the value of the jolie laid in our wardrobes, Miuccia Prada produced another provocative collection for Spring 2009, this time emphasizing crinkled, papery textiles, irresponsibly high heels, and further development of the “peek-a-boo” premise.
Models exposed bare midriffs (a trend we first spotted in NYC, let that be said) in cropped cashmere sweaters and vintage bra tops tenuously fastened by drawstrings, which were also appended to almost everything else, including the usual “sexy grandma” below-the-knee skirts and flung-on blouson jackets. They even trailed bloomers, where the hung awkwardly like bits of discarded tissue. The effect was remarkably unsexy, perhaps even unintentionally overshooting that particular goal.
A palette that vacillated from black and white to a grim mix of rust, sanguine, and clinquant, eye-watering gold made for an almost willfully unpleasant color story for Spring 2009. Factor into that equation the random integration of snakeskin and fish prints and “primitive” tiled patterns.
The result? A dizzying, perplexing kind of dowdy dishabille. Much like Marc Jacobs‘ similarly abstemious Fall 2008 collection, the viability of this collection has already divided critics and fans alike: is Prada bold and directional yet again or just plain ugly this time? We can’t bring ourselves to love it just yet, but we have warmed to a few of the penultimate looks: specifically, the papery tent blouses over crumpled skirts that evoked the same kind of textural magic we loved at Yigal Azrouël.
Still, it was the first time in many seasons where Miuccia came close to merely underscoring pre-existing (often self-generated) trends or missing the mark entirely. And we take pity on the many models who teetered dangerously on their crooked, 6-inch heels; a couple even collapsed under the pressure of the grueling balancing act. We can at least take comfort in knowing those shoes will be rendered more manageable by the time they hit stores. We hope the same can be said for the collection.
What do you think of Prada’s Spring 2009 vision?
Love how you called them ‘irresponsibly high heels’. I actually liked the collection. Not even slightly interested in revealing my midrift though.