SHOW SEEN | Prada Spring/Summer 26, Womenswear

SHOW SEEN
Prada Spring/Summer 2026 Womenswear, observed through my screen.

The show space at Fondazione Prada was empty. A glossy orange floor reflecting the models as they walked across it, held in place by grey concrete pillars. The setting was simple and controlled.

The first two looks, women in uniform. Hair slicked back, earrings that could be from the new Prada Fine Jewellery collection. Shirts tucked, trousers fitted, nothing out of line. We see these uniformed women at the beginning, at the end, and again throughout the show, in khaki, navy, blue, grey, and black.

Then the palette begins to shift. Pastel blue, light yellow, lime green, coral, orange, pink and cream. A lightness enters, not only in colour, but in silhouette. Garments begin to sit away from the body. A freedom from constraint, from the kinds of clothes that hold you in. Bras appear without support or any structure at all. Skirts hang lower, like pinafores that have slipped. Layers are loosened, not tightened. The idea of structure is still there, but it is no longer enforcing control.

The collection sits in a tension between discipline and freedom, between uniform and looseness, and that is where it finds its balance.

Triangle Prada logos are not visible. Instead, a small crest appears on some pieces. The emphasis is not on branding, but on a system, a small wardrobe of pieces that can be recombined and returned to.

A short sleeve shirt.
A pleat front trouser.
A loose brassiere.
Elasticised poplin boy shorts.
A wraparound patchwork skirt.
A suspended skirt.
Pretty dresses
Long coats.

These pieces repeat across the collection, styled and restyled, layered and shifted, showing how a limited set of garments can create a full wardrobe for a life.

Styling codes are consistent. Gloves past the elbow on almost every look. Bags held in the hand, never worn on the body, slick hair, minimal jewellery, long coats worn open, not fastened. Nothing keeping you in or controlling you, but the freedom to protect yourself if you feel the need to do so.

The women look like they mean business. They work, attend, host, move, they are serious and purposeful. But there is also something slightly undone. A final button left open, a skirt sitting lower than expected and elements of softness within it all.

Even the more traditionally feminine pieces are reworked. Dresses with volume and gathers, references to something more classic or feminine, are sometimes styled with the officer shirts underneath. Feminine, but with protection. They sit alongside shirts, coats, uniforms, and are often blended with them. They are not separate, they are all part of the same wardrobe.

This collection feels like a reset, a cleansing of excess. A marker of what is, and what could be, and the space in between. A way of dressing that allows for control when needed, and release when desired. Something to be there for us when we wake up each morning and decide how we will dress for the day, no matter the occasion or what is going on in the world.