Simply Abu Dhabi XX

2 1 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I P R A D A M iuccia Prada’s manifesto for her menswear collection read as follows: "This first part of the autumn-winter 2015 fashion show continues Prada's analysis of the relationship between men and women. What are the unexpected possibilities, the various relationships, that may occur between the way men and women can or would dress? The way they represent themselves? This is a subject always under investigation." In outlining her rationale for the show, it was clear that Miuccia Prada wasn't prepared to leave it as open to freestyling interpretation as she has in the past. The cross-pollination between the sartorial staples of menswear and womenswear has fascinated Prada throughout her career and the blurring of the lines to the point of undefinable uniformity has been a touchstone for her in the past, more specifically in her era of minimalistic exploration in the 1990s. This time the show, presented in a series of low-ceilinged rooms withmetal gate corridors for runways creating a distinctly industrial look, was a gender melange onmultiple levels. The designer sent out a line-up that was split down the middle. Twenty-one menswear looks and twenty womenswear pre-collection ensembles were woven together. But it was by no means a unisex affair – the boys wore suits and the girls wore pleated knee-length dresses, and only a couple of boys wore shirtdresses belted tightly at the waist with tailored trousers and a formal coat. From the opening look, black synthetic fabric dominated, only briefly interrupted by steely greys, midnight blue and camel – and a