Now, I like a bit of androgyny as much as the next girl or guy (delete as appropriate) but I honestly never pictured myself writing anticipating a menswear show, nay writing about one for that matter, as I had for Prada's F/W 2012 show at Milan Fashion Week the Sunday just gone. Punctual as usual, Sian.
Maybe my negligence of the men's side of the fashion spectrum has never held much significance to me as they never gain as great publicity as the womenswear shows - but this is where that one exception comes along and breaks the mold.
My Adrien Brody tag on Tumblr (I am a sad little girl with a sad little girl crush) was ablaze with news of the man himself and some of Hollywood's finest banding together to appear on Prada's MFW catwalk. Well, you can imagine my utmost excitement and if you can't, here's a very close representation.
And onto the pièce de résistance...
Even before the multitudes of models emerged, the scene was already set. A bold power combo black, red and white - the favourite colours of Hitler when it came to Nazi propaganda, propelled me back to pre WW2 times where the clothes themselves would not have been too out of place.
These strong colours remained throughout the collection's entirety; red tinted, round lensed spectacles were a staple as were decorative insignias adorning nearly every coat pockets. The polo neck (which is being forced upon the world by the fash pack at the moment) was taken under Prada's wing too, underneath a crisp white, buttoned shirt, coat collars were spiced up with fur and pinstripes and other eccentric patterns (including pistol patterns) were to be seen.
The show concluded with the eagerly awaited catwalk debut of acting greats: Willem Dafoe, Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Jamie Bell, Emile Hirsch and Adrien Brody (so good I mentioned him twice) - some less capable of hiding their amusement than others!
A kooky take on post 1920's in my opinion and has truly made me realise how much more attention I need to pay to menswear shows.
