Prada Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear: A Bold Fusion Of Elegance And Edge

Feeling overwhelmed? These days, we have a lot of things to deal with, whether it’s the news, the algorithm, the weather, or anything else. Even though it was a crush this season, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons were feeling it backstage at Prada, and not only because of the crush of people waiting for a picture or a soundbite. Simons remarked, “Everything in the world right now is so hardcore.” A “response to the overload of contemporary culture” that was off-kilter in typical Prada-ish ways was created in a Fondazione that had been stripped down to its concrete columns and simply decorated with a shiny orange floor.

The show began and ended with officer shirts and pants, their regularity broken by a pair of elbow-length satin opera gloves, a top handle lady bag, or a pair of drop earrings from the label’s new fine jewelry line. This was off-kilter because few of us see the promise of freedom in the plainness and rigidity of a military uniform. Simons informed us that he had a different relationship with uniforms than most people because his father was a night watchman. The odd pairings were also out of balance. Was the athletic jacket with the button-down and the taffeta bubble skirt embroidered with a polo pony? It was a sly and inevitable hint, but no, it was a Prada crest. For those who collect Prada skirts, this was a spectacular collection. Particularly lovely were a few knee-length designs with a flutter of ruffles around one knee and patchwork made from various materials.

The main reason it was out of balance was the way the clothing was made to fit—perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was made to not fit. In the beginning, bra tops that were manufactured without any kind of elastic beneath the bustline provided covering but no support. As time went on, they just suggested bras—bra-like in shape, but floating off the body rather than adhering to or molding it as such are often designed.

Other skirts with suspenders that exposed the stomach between those non-bra bras and bloomer shorts (also seen at the brand’s recent men’s show) also embraced the away-from-the-body trend. Designers rarely surprise us with a completely novel form, but these suspender skirts were no exception. According to Simons, they were attempting to abandon the “sculptural” elements of clothing. The dirndl outfits with embellishments were unexpected because of their perceived conventionality. They may have been a throwback to Prada’s own early years, when she defied bourgeois fashion standards in favor of bolder concepts.

Even while other companies’ runways often include Prada-isms, this season has created more than usual for some reason (perhaps the algorithm?). Prada and Simons keep one step (or three) ahead of each other because they are just more liberated.

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