Out of everything that I have ever made, I think that this is the dress that I am the most proud of so far. Not as much for the design itself, since I used a pattern from the 1950's, but more for the finishing techniques that I used. Although, I do still love the look of all the panels that make up the skirt, and I think the fabric was the perfect choice for a 50's-60's styled cocktail dress! If you would like to read more about how the dress was made, I have a post about that here. I wanted to focus more on the inspiration for this dress in this post, which is the brand Prada.
Although I have known a little bit about Prada for quite a while now, I was first really introduced to it when I went to Berlin a few years ago. I was so thrilled to be able to poke around in the high end shops one day, and Prada was one of the shops I went into. They had the Spring/Summer 2018 collection in stores at that time, which included comic book art on 1960's styled purses and clothing. I was immediately drawn to the retro designs and started to look a little further into the brand.
Miuccia Prada was born in Milan in 1948 to a wealthy businessman and an heir to a family business, Fratelli Prada. The business was known for its leather goods, which were commonly bought by Italian aristocracy. Miuccia Prada has a doctorate in political science and she was an active member of the Union of Italian Women during Second Wave Feminism. She originally wanted to design for theater, but inherited Fratelli Prada in 1978. She was a brilliant business owner right from the start and expanded internationally, though she had a difficult time reconciling her love for fashion with her passion for feminism. She has blended the two perfectly in many of her elegant, rebellious, yet simple collections.
Many of Prada's collections are interesting with their lack of print. She does not shy away from prints (as we can see with the comic book inspiration in the collection I saw, or the small floral prints in her Autumn/Winter 1995-1996 Ready to Wear collection), but she always goes back to simplicity. This is one of the reasons that she has been credited for paving the way for minimalism. Her designs are often known for being conservative, taking the wild whims of fashion and turning it into something both disciplined and anarchic. She started playing with masculinity and femininity in the early 90's, as well as ugliness and beauty. What makes something ugly? This theme was widely noticed in her Spring/Summer 1996 collection which was nicknamed 'Ugly Chic' by the press. She was interested in in banal designs: mustard yellow and rust shades, plain button-downs and shirt dresses, prints inspired by diners in the 50's. Gucci and Versace were popular at this time, and Prada was so opposite of the luxury that those brands offered. She was branded as intellectual, compared to the sexual nature of Gucci and Versace.
What especially interested me in Prada was some of the collections that came later that reminded one of Mad Max and other dystopians. Her Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 collection is one of my favourites due to the sober wool suits reminiscent of the 1940's paired with leather gladiator dresses. The conservative nature of her designs in no way stop her from being new and interesting.
Almost all of her collections include pleated skirts, perfectly tailored blazers and jackets, clunky but still elegant shoes, and mini skirts. What I really love about this brand is the fact that it has stayed true to it's roots - they kept silhouettes of the 1960's, simple but luxurious materials, and a focus on elegant looks. I was especially thrilled when I found out that one of my favourite designers, Raf Simons, would be joining as co-creative director of Prada. Simons worked as creative director for Dior between 2012 and 2015 and created some of my all time favourite collections from the brand. He is well known for his stint at Jill Sanders, and has his own brand as well. He is often called a minimalist, and I believe that his style fits flawlessly with Prada.
I wasn't inspired by Prada for this dress, per se, but it was in the back of my head while I was working on this. I have always enjoyed the sparing use prints, the conservative nature of the designs, and the colours, all of which I included in this project. I also wanted to include some knit wear, since Prada's knit dresses and cardigans are outfits that I dream about regularly. The couture theme continued with our photoshoot, since we were able to go to the Hudson's Bay in downtown Calgary on a quiet day over the holiday.
Overall, I am thrilled with this project and I highly recommend checking out a few collections of Prada if you are a fan of classic 60's style like I am. My favourite collections are currently Autumn/Winter 2010-2011, Autumn/Winter 2011-2012, and Autumn/Winter 2015-2016, if you want a quick starting point.
Do you have a favourite haute-couture brand? Which eras of styles are you drawn to?
Thanks for reading,
~Katherine
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