Simply Abu Dhabi XXII

2 7 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Prada Miu Miu SS 2016 Womenswear M iuccia Prada is the Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur behind Prada and Miu Miu. The youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, she took over the family-owned luxury goods manufacturer in 1978. Since then, the company has acquired Jil Sander, Helmut Lang and shoemaker Church & Co. In 2002, Prada opened her own contemporary art gallery. InMarch 2013, she was one of the fifty best- dressed over 50s by the Guardian, and as of 2014, she is listed as the 75th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. The Miu Miu line was introduced in 1992 as a less expensive womenswear line inspired by her personal wardrobe. She named it after her own nickname, Miu Miu. The latest spring 2016 collections for bothMiuMiu and Prada were created by Miuccia in the midst of dealing with the passing of her 103-year-old aunt, Nana, whomshe described as a second mother. The designer said, “Really, Miu Miu was about irrationality, the times we are in are extreme.” She appears to have been inspired during the putting together of these collections by a need to go underground and escape reality, and one would assume, her own personal grief. This collection is one of super quirky tailoring and plenty of fur. Miu Miu is known for its emphasis on shape and layering, and this collection was no exception: puffed out sleeves underneath pinafore- style dresses gave a prim, doll-like quality to the pieces. Prada’s signature ruffles adorn shirts and dresses, while prints adorn leather jackets and skirts. The assembles seemmade to be pulled apart, layer by layer, and absorbed into a woman’s wardrobe in whatever manner makes sense to her. Nylon- looking negligees are layered over sweaters and gingham shirts whilst sheer shirts are layered over dresses creating a gothic, glam-rock feel. Other items include wintry purple and green lozenge- patterned narrow coats and midi pencil skirts, fur stoles and boxy Deco-patterned cardigans. Now and then raccoon tails peep out from behind jackets making us wonder about an animal hidden there. Anxious that this doesn’t make sense? Don’t be. That is exactly Prada’s point. The accessories are just as strong and powerful as the clothing. There are boldly coloured scarves, tender raccoon charms dangling onto the torso, bug-eye sunglasses, messy feather necklaces, and vibrantly-coloured tiaras. Boots, a major draw in a season of loudly decorative footwork, include calf-length lace-up boots with chunky heels carrying patchwork and a real game of colours. The shoes are standout, and in multiple styles, the most striking of which is a series of 1970s-style platforms feature abstract or zigzag lines reminiscent of superhero lightning motifs. All footwear rocks impressive colour blocks of red- brown-olive green, white-brown, white-deep purple or even blue-purple-grey-black. The more conservatively sweet ballet slippers featuring leather wraparound straps and patent pointed stilettos that, again, bring a touch of the confused in their mismatched ribbon ankle ties. The handbags are ladylike and constructed in strong colours, including violet and mustard yellow. There are several, smaller reptile handbags, with matching leather straps woven with orange cord. There’s tiaras, ruffle-neck blouses, a Swan Lake tutu – and within it all, goth black-and-white silk pieces printed with candles and cigarette lighters, surely a mini collection unto itself. The entire collection embodies an intriguing combination of menacing attitudes versus come-hither flirtation, appealing to the girly girls and the edgier fashionistas. The mixture of girlish charm, vintage accents and edgy styling all made perfect sense in Miuccia's world, and delivered a spring line of adorable eccentricity. We’re starting to think there’s method to Miu Miu’s madness after all.