Rompers, comic prints and bumbags at Prada SS18 menswear

Following the first standalone Resort show, Miuccia Prada decided that her latest menswear show was all about the boys. Here are all the highlights from SS18 show: 

THE SET WAS A GIANT COMIC STRIP 

Teased earlier today on Instagram, guests arriving at this season’s show space were greeted by a black and white comic strip that covered everything from the walls to the catwalk – even the ceiling. Backstage Miuccia Prada explained that to her the images are simple and little fragments of life. The comics here – created by James Jean (who has worked on collections before, including the recent Resort show) and by Belgian artist Ollie Schrauwen – displayed a dystopian landscape. The robot monkeys, abandoned cityscapes and horde of watching eyes gave it a distinct Orwellian feel. The lines on the catwalk gave a sense of speed or urgency that was amplified by the models who paced up and down to tracks that jumped without warning like French pop-rock band Indochine’s “L’Aventurier”.

HUMAN REALITY VS VIRTUAL REALITY

Backstage Miuccia talked about the idea of duality between virtual reality and human reality as the main point of inspiration for the collection. “The feeling was really being one side that is the virtual reality and one side that is the human part. We live in this double world between the two, so that is what interests me,” she said. This contrast was explored through the nylon sportswear trousers teamed with velcro strap trainers, given a human touch with homespun-looking knits, heavy overcoats and cotton shirts with upturned collars. 

PRADA DOES...ROMPERS?

Remember those male rompers – called RompHim – that Twitter roasted alive when they were released? Well if you were one of those people, prepare to eat your words because Miuccia has decided that rompers are the must-have item for next summer. Well sort-of. There were shorts and tops styled together to look like rompers, but were in fact separates. Elsewhere in the collection, there were actual jumpsuits. Why? “You never know the reason, just that you like it. Probably because they are simple,” said Mrs Prada backstage. Ditching the pastel colours of their frat boy equivalent, these boilersuits were utilitarian in beige and navy with worn with rolled up sleeves with a simple Prada patch like futuristic mechanics. For the braver among you, try the comic strip print version. 

AND...BABY GOT BACK

Those not lucky enough to attend tonight, who were squinting at the livestream at home, might have missed one crucial detail from the collection. What looked like layered belts – from the front anyway – were actually fanny packs worn at the back. In a world obsessed with curvaceous backsides, perhaps this is Miuccia’s way of poking fun at it through fashion.