SimplyAbuDhabi VII

1 6 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I S ophisticated and trendsetting, Prada’s inspiring concept of uncompromised quality and constant innovation has endured from 1913, when Mario Prada, Miuccia Prada’s grandfather, opened a shop of luxury goods in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele inMilan. The search for rare and valuable materials and sophisticated manufacturing techniques is part of Prada’s DNA. Like portraits hung in the halls of a modern palace, the campaign images shot by David Sims for Prada’s autumn/winter menswear collection capture four of Hollywood’s leading men in a contemporary character study. Acting luminaries Gary Oldman, Garrett Hedlund, Jamie Bell and Willem Dafoe, also stars of the autumn/winter fashion showcase inMilan, are the distinct subjects of this extraordinary gallery – transposing cinematic codes to the world of menswear in the series of three-quarter length portraits. Stylish men off screen as well as on, they are some of the most iconic screen characters of our time, as well as influential icons of fashion. Together the four actors, each at a different point in their careers, represent a cross-generational broadening of the face of Prada Menswear. In the campaign each leading man plays a different archetype, layering codes of dress in a subtle parody of power and role-play. Exaggerated poses and conspiratorial glances hint at the game, a palm solemnly placed on the heart or into a pocket with precise formality. A cardinal red background speaks of ceremony and theatre – the light accentuating the cut of a sleeve or the slope of a coat tail – while each man transforms the clothing into a costume for their own unique performance. The eyewear campaign moves in on our players, framing each character in a formal portrait pose, the actors’s knowing looks subverting the solemnity of the compositions. Their contemporary character study of manners and meaning reveals a new set of rules for the modern gentleman’s attitude to dressing. For further information please visit http://www.prada.com Prada Menswear Fall/Winter 2012 Campaign Jamie Bell Gary Oldman