Simply Abu Dhabi XI

2 1 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I M iuccia Prada – the granddaughter of the company’s founder – has been leading the company since 1978 to great acclaim. Which is why it’s strange to hear her reflect that this season’s collection is “one of the most sophisticated I’ve ever done”. With a fairly basic blue sweater, untucked shirt and houndstooth trousers? But as she went on to explain, it’s the pursuit of perfection that has been driving her. "Simplicity is so difficult. To make perfect something that is normal and classic is much harder." You expect the strange from Miuccia, who has both a doctorate in political science and a brief stint as a mime artist on her CV. In the 25 years since she debuted the company’s black nylon utility backpack, she has displayed a knowing sense of style and won the trust of loyal followers. It’s this savoir-faire and instinctive decisions that have allowed her to bring the heritage leather company into a global fashion empire worth $13 billion. For Autumn-Winter 2013, the company is seeking the pinnacle of jumpers, the best shirt, the ultimate fabric. The team of designers spent three months looking for the perfect shades of blue, yellow and red. The result is a collection that looks eminently wearable. "You want to wear everything," Miuccia emphasises, "and that is really what fashion is." At the catwalk show, young models with razor sharp cheek bones stomped the boards in perfect overcoats trimmed with contrasting colour velvet collars and paired with butter-soft woollen jumpers, teardrop shaped leather shoes and sharp trousers. Sheen-high jackets with Rupert Bear trousers. Camel polo necks. Beautiful leather coats that skim the knee in soft brown pelt without even hinting at theMatrix. And the wearablility is plain. Whereas many catwalk shows outfits couldn’t and shouldn’t be seen beyond the changing rooms, this legion of Prada models looked almost normal. You could imagine seeing them in the street. "Normality can be provocative," Miuccia says. "Banality is the reality of life. I don't like a fantasy about life." Yet however normal this collection looks, you know that it has been crafted by brilliant fashion minds, studied and laboured for months in advance. The wide shoulder is back, something of a trend on the catwalks this season, as is the check, which was seen in many sizes, singles and forms. Ruffle details running down some of the plaid shirts add a hint of Wild West glamour. Trousers are not to the floor but cropped above the ankle. It is a peculiar combination of fifties and nineties, but somehow it works. Velvet collars, ruffled shirts, drainpipes and thick-soled brogues evoke the 50s Teddy Boy. It’s sharp and it’s clean. Very Prada. From a leather good shop established in the early twentieth century, Prada rose to prominence in the 80s for its ready-to-wear collections. Fashionistas noted and approved of the clean lines, rich fabrics and near clinical use of colour. The devil and common man wear Prada.