PRADA FW26 MENSWEAR: SLIM IS BACK

Slim fit is back, according to the Prada Menswear show presented last Sunday, January 18th, in Milan. The appearance of these sleek, fitted silhouettes has been exclusive to this collection, as no other brand this season seemed to champion the skinny fit. The show took place at Fondazione Prada, which this year took the interior of an Italian palazzo as inspiration and contrasted sharply with the Virgin Prunes and Suicide soundtrack, adding a disquieting edge to the presentation. 

Over the past week, social media has been flooded with images from 2016, as users reflect on who they were then and how their sense of style has evolved since. Is this collection proof that the 2010s are about to return, perhaps in a more elevated manner? Or is it simply a reflection of how bodies, silhouettes, and ideals are changing for menswear, influenced by the effects of Ozempic? There is no clear answer in the show, as Miuccia Prada has always prided herself on challenging the viewer to arrive at their own conclusions.

However, layers, and the beauty and innovation that come from rediscovery, sit at the core of this collection. “If you take the layers away, you always find a kind of beauty. There’s the knowledge that you still want to celebrate and use, but you also want to innovate,” said Raf Simons, who likened his and Miuccia Prada’s work to a form of archaeology, where different layers must be explored to reach the past, using every stage in between to reflect.

The trousers were slim and flared, elongating the body, while tubular coats added vertical structure to the looks. Oversized cuffs were blown up in scale, emerging dramatically from the skinny sleeves of narrow overcoats. Each garment felt considered in how it interacted with the one beneath it, reinforcing the idea of clothing as something to be uncovered.

In the show notes, Miuccia Prada described discomfort as the defining psychology of our current moment. “We know so little—we can’t predict the future,” she wrote. “So we need a clarity, a precision in clothes. There is a sense of the before, which interests us, even as we search for the new. That is a sign of respect.” This idea of precision ran through the entire collection. Every seam, proportion, and detail felt intentional.

Precision in clothing is surely one of the key takeaways from the show. Raf and Miuccia also proposed alternatives for the season through classic trench coats, utility capes, and jaunty hats. The palette was mainly sober, although some pleasing, unusual colors appeared throughout the collection. Through these shades, they aim to create youthful, beautiful clothes from a deconstructed corporate wardrobe.

Slim, layered silhouettes came together to suggest that looking forward means reinventing without abandoning the past. Prada continues to excel at turning restraint into statement. Rather than offering escapism, the show reflected the uncertainty of the present moment, dressing it with intelligence

Words: @edugilhurta