Prada‘s Fall/Winter 19 showspace venue in the grand hall of the Desposito, was once again designed by AMO.  Part of the Fondazione Prada complex, attendees are seated along the perimeter of the room, spanning across the terrace, newly built stages, as well as a balcony. Models came out onto a platform of regular grid lightbulbs, that’s part-performative landscape, and part-scientific experiments by Nikola Tesla, from yesteryear. The space was “admiration at a distance” in its truest sense, with the models so far from the audience. separated by an artificial terrain of dimly lit glass and soft spiky foam.

The collection, drew inspiration from Frankenstein and The Rocky Horror Show, so as one would expect, it had a distinctly dark vibe, but with a tinge of romance. “Dark romanticism” or “gothic romance” would be the best way to describe the collection with lots of tailored suits with boxy shoulders, as well as comic-esque illustrated floral prints with lightning bolts and semi-clenched fingers against an open palm (as though trying to grasp something) print, oh and of course, the Frankenstein prints. Marabou trimmings on hats and shoulders in pops of red and blue, too were part of this dark yet, slightly kooky collection; these very feathered embellishments, too, were spotted on the women as part of the Women’s Pre-Fall 19 collection showcased alongside Men’s.

Illustrated Frankenstein prints, too, were part of the women’s collection. So where’s the romance? Well, this can be found on Gigi Hadid’s collared crystal-studded pleated dress and chunky crystal-embellished brogues with crystals arranged into an all-over floral pattern, that was styled with a black tube top, along with a belt that went round the body 4 times… a quadruple-tour belt, if you will.

The Verdict: Though I don’t watch horror movies because I’m chicken like that, I love anything artsy fartsy, so no surprises here when I tell you that I’m obsessed with the prints, yep, even the Frankenstein ones. The crystal-embellished floral details really brought the romance factor that Miuccia was going for, which perfectly  juxtaposed against the more rugged bits of the collection. Also, I’m totally digging the boxy tailoring, which makes for a more refreshing (and more casual!) change from the slim cut suits that we see most men wearing these days.

Images courtesy of Prada