fashionologie

Inside the Costume Institute's Schiaparelli and Prada Exhibit

Justin Fenner — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:18:24 PDT

Let's talk about fashion: that's the premise of this year's Costume Institute exhibit, titled Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.

Through a series of videos directed by Baz Luhrmann, the exhibit - which was inspired by a series of Vanity Fair articles from the '30s - imagines Miuccia Prada and the late Elsa Schiaparelli (played by Australian actress Judy Davis) discussing their respective approaches to dressing women. Against this backdrop are clothing and accessories from each designer, arranged almost as if in conversation, too: In one gallery called "Waist Up, Waist Down," Prada's skirts are shown next to Schiaparelli's jackets. "To me the waist up is more spiritual, more intellectual, while the waist down is more basic, more grounded," Prada says in the coordinating video. "It's about sex. It's about making love. It's about life. It's about giving birth."

Other conversations include themes like "Hard Chic," which looks at the influence of menswear and military uniforms, and "The Surreal Body," which examines pieces like Schiaparelli's famous lobster dress and Prada's Fall 2011 skirts and shirts that are covered in large sequins resembling fish scales.

Prada told The New York Times that while she's never directly been inspired by Schiaparelli, she now understands "there actually were some similarities. But it is other people's vision."

Fashion's biggest names will get a first look at the exhibit tonight during the Met Gala, and the exhibit itself will open to the public on May 10 and close Aug. 19. For now, a sneak peek at the exhibit in the gallery.

Photo: A view of the exhibit.

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Miuccia Prada: Perfectionist Party Planner?

Justin Fenner — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:14:15 PDT

Miuccia Prada has reportedly taken control of planning the Costume Institute's upcoming Met Gala - even down to the smallest details.

Prada has been quite vocal on everything from the guest list to what kind of alcohol those guests will drink. Sources told Alexa that when it came time for event planners to choose a beverage sponsor for the event, Prada insisted on an Italian Prosecco brand. She also decided on the location of the afterparty and has created an exclusive list of people who are allowed to wear her designs to the party. Gala cochair Carey Mulligan is said to be among them.

Met Gala veteran Coco Rocha, however, is not. According to Alexa, Rocha is bucking the trend of attending the gala with a designer, and will instead walk the red carpet with her husband James Conran. She plans to wear a vintage Givenchy dress she bought a few months ago. "This is actually the first time I've ever worn something that wasn't fitted by the designer himself," she said. "I did take the vintage Givenchy piece to my friend Zac Posen and to Vogue and they all agreed that it fits perfectly, no need for tailoring!"

Photo: Miuccia Prada and Anna Wintour announcing the Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibit during Fall 2012 Milan Fashion Week.

Miu Miu Fall 2012

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:26:40 PST

>> Miuccia Prada is having a trousers moment. Today's Fall 2012 Miu Miu collection was chock-full of them, and earlier this month they dominated her collection for Prada as well. In fact, the designer is so into pants this season that she told WWD they were "the only thing exciting" to her currently.

She certainly has found some interesting ways to work them. The pants on offer at Miu Miu were jauntier and more playful than the ones on display at Prada and came in a jumble of shimmering jewel tones and supersized patterns. These were more mannish, too, cut wide down the knee and cropped at the ankle. Paired with matching '70s-style sportscoats and loudly patterned blouses, the look was chic in a nerdy-kitsch, leisure-suit way.

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Prada Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:58:44 PST

>> Trousers, trousers, trousers. That was the message at Prada. Oh, there were dresses, skirts, and coats as well, but mostly it was about the trouser. They were in every one of the collection's 41 looks, hit just above the ankle, and were cut straight - but not too slim. They came in black wool - sometimes bejeweled at the hem - and later, in a mix of Op Art-Brady Bunch-style prints.

Over the last few seasons or so, there have been hints that the idea of wearing pants under dresses was making a comeback - Acne and Opening Ceremony each showed the style for Spring 2012 - but here the concept was the main thesis.

As a whole, it made for an outing that was focused, controlled - and plenty appealing. Silhouettes on coats and dresses were crisp and sharp, and - with their empire waists and a-line silhouettes - youthful. Also youthful and super-appealing: the models' hair, which was long, straight, and dip-dyed in contrasting hues.

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Ann Taylor Taps Kate Hudson, Miuccia Prada Takes It Back, Mickey Drexler Doesn't Like Malls - and More

Christina Perez — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:37:23 PST

Kate Hudson is the new face of Ann Taylor. [Fashion Foie Gras]

Andrea Linett has joined Michael Kors as the new global creative director. [Daily Front Row]

Miuccia Prada says her quote about the Met exhibit was taken out of context. [Fashionista]

Mickey Drexler isn't crazy about shopping malls. [Lucky]

The Spring 2012 nail colors from Butter London have arrived. [Racked]

Miranda Kerr celebrates baby Flynn's first birthday. [People]

Kate Bosworth and Cher Coulter are launching a denim line. [Stylecaster]

Photo: WWD

Miuccia Prada Is Not Thrilled About Her Upcoming Met Exhibit

Christina Perez — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:30:34 PST

>> Miuccia Prada doesn't agree with the way the Costume Institute is comparing her with Elsa Schiaparelli in its upcoming exhibit. "It's too formal; they are focused on similarities, comparing feather with feather, ethnic with ethnic, but they are not taking into consideration that we are talking about two different eras, and that [Schiaparelli and I] are total opposite," Prada said backstage at her menswear show this past weekend in Milan. "I told them, but they don't care." The exhibit, entitled Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion, opens May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Miuccia Prada Likes Wearing Neon Underwear, According to Katie Grand

fashionologie — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:35:55 PDT

>> Miuccia Prada is known for a quirky sensibility when it comes to her designs, but not so much when it comes to her personal style, aside from a pair of banana earrings here and there. However, when Katie Grand was recently asked what was not well known about Prada, she replied: "She wears fluoro underwear. . . . Well, I don’t know if she still does, but when we last worked together she’d quite often have fluorescent underwear on and I so loved that about her! It was so unexpected." [DFR]

Prada to Launch Sparkly Jewelry Collection For Holidays

fashionologie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:15:04 PDT

>> Prada is set to launch a jewelry capsule collection in November, consisting of crocodile cuffs and sparkly statement earrings, necklaces, and bracelets that are embellished with colored gems and resin roses. The collection, which hits Prada boutiques just in time for holiday shopping, is priced starting from 350 euros ($488). Fashionista has a look. [WWD, Fashionista]

2012 Costume Institute Gala and Exhibit to Focus on Miuccia Prada, Elsa Schiaparelli

fashionologie — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:42:31 PDT

>> As rumored, the 2012 Costume Institute Gala and exhibit will focus on Italian designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada.

Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion will run May 10 to Aug. 19, and will be underwritten by Amazon alongside Conde Nast. Serving as honorary chair at the May 7 gala is Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, with Carey Mulligan, Miuccia Prada, and Anna Wintour as co-chairs. Baz Luhrmann will act as creative consultant to the exhibition, helping to oversee its design.

Curators Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton aim to examine the way Schiaparelli and Prada broke fashion convention and played with the ideas of good and bad taste as well as their affinity to the art world. “Once we got Schiaparelli as the core part of what we wanted to do, it became a logical jump to Miuccia,” Koda said. “They are both Italian women, and even though Miuccia might not describe herself as a feminist, what we see is these two very strong women with a very strong aesthetic.”

The exhibit is expected to feature about 80 designs by Schiaparelli from the late '20s through the early '50s and by Prada from the late '80s through present day, drawn primarily from The Costume Institute's collection and the Prada archive.

Prada Spring 2012

fashionologie — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:59:51 PDT

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