Prada Looks Project Feminine Strength

MILAN, Italy — Miuccia Prada is the most eclectic designer on the Milan runway. Every season she goes to a new place, either literally or figuratively, for inspiration and comes up with a collection that is different from everybody else's and almost always brings down the house.

To inspire the summer collection, Prada commissioned pop art murals for the walls of the label's show space, as part of Prada's stated aim "to engage themes of femininity, representation, power and multiplicity." International muralists Miles "El Mac" Gregor, Mesa, Gabriel Specter, Stinkfish and illustrators Jeanne Detallante and Pierre Mornet participated.

The murals translated into the collection as women's faces on knitwear and fur, rainbow patterns on overcoats and handbags — and the overall over-the-top feel of the collection.

Originally renown as a minimalist designer, Prada went to town in this avant-garde collection full of glitter and glam. One of the leitmotifs was a graphic brassiere superimposed on outwear — sometimes as an image, sometimes in bold sequins. The effect was a bonanza of color.

The looks were both an exploration of femininity and urban power. This is seen in the pleated skirts worn with athletic striped leg warmers and thick-soled sports sandals, albeit showered with sequins. As with many collections this round, pants were few and far between.

Models wore straight unfussy hair and bland makeup underlining that the energy was in the clothes.

The bags, unlike the eclectic collection, were quite prim and proper, at times incorporating the bold motifs from the murals.