Prada’s Seductive Vision For Spring Is Here

In Prada’s universe the minimal is also sensual. In its third collection designing hand and hand, Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada continued to write the language of their blended aesthetic — pops of color, muted graphics, and sparse tailoring included. Titled “Seduction, Stripped Down,” Prada’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection examines the pared-back beauty of clothing. “We thought of words like elegant — but this feels so old-fashioned. Really, it’s about a language of seduction that always leads back to the body,” Prada said in the post-show notes.

While the Italian brand held its usual Milan-based show out of its Fondazione headquarters, this season, it simultaneously put on a show in Shanghai, both of which were part of the online broadcast debuting the collection. For those tuning in from home, seeing the same look on two models thousands of miles apart added a layer of depth — the brand noted that technology served as a way to bring people together. The house chose to present each look’s duality in its imagery as well, pairing the identical ensembles next to one another.

The clothes themselves drew inspiration from the idea of seduction — and the sexiness that inherently comes with the concept. Corseting was left undone, jackets were worn without tops, hemlines were high, and backs were draped open. The collection was heavy on leather, with a mix of oversized blazers and black jackets styled back to the bold-hued silk miniskirts throughout. The collection took the elements of formal fashion, but found their own creative ways to make them feel accessible. As has become a signature of Simons’ and Prada’s partnership, the colors highlighted within the collection were stark — yellow, red, orange, green, and pale pink mixed and matched in vibrant yet unexpected ways. The lace and silk dresses (a nod to the slip perhaps), the corseted tops, and the miniskirts with tails trailing behind them all felt particularly sophisticated. Where other labels have approached sexiness with a capital “S,” in all its cut-out, sparkly, and sheer glory, this collection was “a seduction through reduction,” as the Prada press release put it.

Paired with many of the brand’s ensembles was also a surprising accessory: arm cuffs bearing the signature triangle Prada logo worn around the biceps. Models carried slick leather bags in cherry red, and the shoes were a selection of pointed flats and kitten heels — a choice that, as the show notes suggest, recontextualizes the dressier aspects of the clothing with a more casual attitude. “The fantasy inherent in evening wear is counterbalanced by the reality of the everyday.”

Bottom line: It’s hard not to be seduced by the everyday reality created by Simons and Prada. These are the clothes that make the wearer feel both sophisticated and sensual. Below, see more from the collection.