I've written about how I don't talk much about menswear on this blog, mostly because I want to learn about menswear properly before commenting on it, and maybe also because I find womenswear to be a liiiittle more exciting ... so leave it to me to fall in love with Prada Men's Spring/Summer 2012, a collection that's decidedly out of touch with masculinity in favor of parody. Miuccia Prada says she's inspired by what she hates - in this case golf, which she doesn't play. I am obsessed with cleverness and humor in fashion, and recently Prada has been spewing out strong collections that deliver both in spades - though the side effect of Women's S/S11 reaching iconic status in a milisecond was that those pieces, especially fur stoles and flatforms, will forever be regarded as exclusively "seasonal", meaning nobody will wear them next year because they will be "out" as they've literally been everywhere ... perhaps that was the point though? to sell everything (YAY, PROFIT!) and not care about how long it lasts because surely we're in for a bunch of new surprises in September.
I heard you have to be young if you want to work at Prada, and I suppose it explains the influx of these quirky concepts you either love or hate or love to hate or hate to love.
My favorite piece from the collection is the golf bag in ridiculous daisy print. Nobody wouldn't even think of taking this thing to the golf course back in the day, and now it's become the only bag you want to take to the course. An "it" bag for golf. ♥♥♥ Miuccia Prada pokes fun at golf's rigid dress code (when I still played golf more often, what saddened me the most about the dress code was that there's basically no distinction between golf womenswear and menswear, especially regarding atrocious shoes); the most genius thing about it is that you're going to see people actually playing golf wearing these parodical pieces and some of them won't even be aware of it! I say "people" instead of "men" because if these bags will be available to customers, I think there will be many, many women calling their SAs to be put on the waiting list.
To me, Prada Men's S/S12 speaks of a contemporary comic book hero. It's funny and campy and what else are comic books anyway? This is 2011 and gender boundaries aren't as strict as golf dress code any more, so the Prada hero doesn't have to be brave and mysterious like Spider-Man or Diabolik. He's a "boy of leisure", perhaps relying on a vast inheritance, who has read all the Greek classics and never gets his clothes dirty - not even when he's playing golf.
Photos from gq.com.
June 26, 2011 at 5:45 PM
A seriously great review. I read it aloud to my boyfriend and said "this is why I love fashion!" You are spot on about that floral golf bag... and I do imagine it being women who end up wanting it! (and European men ;) )
June 26, 2011 at 7:50 PM
This means *so much* to me because - like I've said a million times already and will continue to - you are one of my favorite fashion bloggers to read. If anyone knows good writing it's you! Thank you so much, Joanne :)
June 26, 2011 at 6:15 PM
Parody indeed. Yes, the bags are great...for WOMEN. I don't get collections like these. I can't see any commercial success inherent in this quirky collection, except perhaps with very flamboyant men and women.
I honestly would like to see more designers creating collections for real MEN, and not campy fashionistas. No hetero man in his right mind would wear any of this. Men don't need to carry handbags and wear girlie clothes...that's OUR department, for crying out loud! And if that's the case, then yes, what is the point if it is intended as a menswear collection?
GRIT & GLAMOUR recently posted Cream of the Resort 2012 Crop: Alexander McQueen
June 26, 2011 at 8:25 PM
Every collection is essentially two collections: the first is a runway collection and the second is a selling collection. The runway collection is where the designer(s) go crazy, put on a big show etc. Prada Men's S/S12 is a great example of this; it's a parody and as such falls within the "fashion is art" spectrum.
The selling collection is what ends up in stores 9 months later and it differs from the runway collection. If you go to a Prada store right now, you're going to see S/S11 pieces that never appeared on the runway. There will be different shoes, bags (probably even dresses) next to the pieces you remember from the runway. Often the selling collection will have "toned down" versions of pieces from the runway collection (because of commercial success - the runway is too extravagant for most of the customers). Sometimes the most sought-after pieces from the runway collections aren't even available to customers - think McQueen armadillo shoes (you could only get them if you were Lady Gaga or Daphne Guinness) and I'm pretty sure these men's S/S12 bags won't be easy to get either.
This is why Prada Men's S/S12 needs to be taken seriously in terms of its idea and concept, not how it's not interesting to "typical macho men". If you're a (heterosexual) man and you walk into Prada next spring, you're going to find a ton of pieces you'll like.
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Honestly, I don't understand why you think this is not a collection for "real men". You are implying that a man who would wear these pieces is not a "real man" - don't you think this is degrading? Why would wearing this collection not make him a real man (and why shouldn't men, even heterosexual men, carry handbags and wear girly clothes if that's what they want)? I think it would make him only an *atypical* man, not "not real" or flawed in any way.
If you look at Yohji Yamamoto's latest menswear collection, you'll see that he presented men in skirts, and I mentioned gender boundaries not being so strict any more in this very post. This is the direction fashion is going in, and of course everyone is free to choose if it suits them or not. However, I do not see why those with opinions and styles that differ from ours should be considered unequal. After all, fashion is about expressing yourself and your uniqueness, which means not everyone is always going to stay within the norms; frankly, I think that's the most beautiful part of it.
June 27, 2011 at 9:04 PM
Eva, I did not say anyone is not equal based on what they choose to wear. I'm not sure where you got that from. I'm all for espressing yourself any way you'd like. My point is that one of the beautiful things about differences in gender is the DIFFERENCE!
For me, and the heterosexual men I know (and I cannot ever imagine Tom Ford wearing anything that appears above, and he is gay), the difference between runway and selling collections, at least in this case is too extreme. Fine, camp and all that for the runway, but I think a lot of fashion is the emperor's new clothes, and no one has the courage to speak up. My disliking the collection is not what you inferred, that I am judging people because their choices are different from mine. It is simply me offering my view of this collection, as you offered yours, and I happen to think it is neither entertaining nor attractive. It's not a judgment of mankind or sexuality, but what I think about the clothing. That's it. People can wear what they want.
And you and I as women can say whatever we want about men wearing quirky clothing. It doesn't matter if you think it's OK or if I think it's lacking. It's MEN who ostracize each other, who haze, who fight, who take it to a level of judgment that goes beyond the clothing. They have determined what is "acceptable" for their gender. They are the ones who really judge. Not you, and not me.
GRIT & GLAMOUR recently posted Worker V:2.0 (Ode to the Pencil Skirt)
June 27, 2011 at 10:33 PM
"Eva, I did not say anyone is not equal based on what they choose to wear. I'm not sure where you got that from."
I got it from your comment that this collection is not for "real men". If I took you the wrong way, I apologize. :)
June 28, 2011 at 4:01 PM
What I meant was not that men aren't REAL men if they wear skirts. I meant that I'd like to see less camp and more viable clothing for men in the REAL world.
Despite what Yohji is producing, you and I both know that skirts and such on men will always be part of the fringe, not a societal norm, in English-speaking countries, at least. So it would be nice for the majority who clearly do not wear skirts or fripperies to be able to see more of the viable, commercial collections on the runway so they can be inspired and see them in action.
GRIT & GLAMOUR recently posted Worker V:2.0 (Ode to the Pencil Skirt)
July 1, 2011 at 5:19 PM
I've always had a love-hate relationship with Prada, it's been the source of most stellar highs and most bitter disappointments. For me, Prada is black. I just can't get out of that boundary, as hard as I try. Simply, there are colour designers (Dries Van Noten as the prime example for me), print designers (Chanel), texture designers (Dolce&Gabbana), and black designers. And Prada is my black.
Prada and swallows, daisies, polkadots?! I run a mile away in horror :D I know, I am very rigid and possibly a snob :(
July 1, 2011 at 5:22 PM
ps. on men in skirts, I was just wondering about that today, having spent some time with a guy who was rocking a camouflage kilt (he is Scottish). Made me ache all over that he was gay. It looked so good on him! I really hope men in skirts will become a norm one day, it's a very sexy look, and really, quite masculine, at least i think so.