I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Prada Spring/Summer 2026. Yes, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ new collection only debuted a few hours ago, but still—as someone whose butterfly mind tends to wander and go off on tangents at the smallest distraction, I’m fully fixated. The collision of unexpected colorways (acidic green into amethyst!), the bra tops reduced to the barest geometric slice, the puffy micro-bloomers, the leather opera gloves! All of it unfolded like a lesson on contrast from the world’s utmost experts. After all, opposites pulling toward each other has always been at the core of Prada’s vocabulary: intellect meeting instinct, primness meeting sensuality, even the concept of "ugly chic."
Just weeks earlier in New York, editors were fixated on a new conservatism spotted on the runways: longer hemlines, buttoned-up silhouettes, the supposed death of the naked dress. Maybe it was a sign we’re all getting fatigued (again) of seeing chiseled abs jutting out over low-rise pants or perfect bums displayed cheekily under sheer skirts? But Prada and Simons said: not so fast!
Prada
Prada
The first model marched out in a tailored jumpsuit, the uniform of docents at Fondazione Prada, with seams slicing along the body with military precision. This was Prada’s utilitarian lineage at work, the house that once turned industrial black nylon into a luxury staple now cutting technical twill with couture-level exactness. An unexpected touch: A giant pair of dangly, bejeweled earrings hung from the model’s ears, the official runway debut of Prada’s fine jewelry line, which launched in 2022. They reflected light in little holographic rainbows as they swung, puncturing the uniforms with a touch of playfulness. The second look was another jumpsuit in a particularly soothing shade of lavender-blue, paired with Mrs. Prada’s signature scrunched, past-the-elbow silk gloves. This dialogue between workwear and eveningwear, between practicality and play, has long been Miuccia’s playground, and Raf amplifies it with his own history of precision minimalism.
Prada
And then: skin! Lots of it, but only on top. The now-ubiquitous “bra top” appeared, though in the hands of Prada and Simons, it bore no resemblance to lingerie. Instead, it was a severe bandeau, sharply tailored, Prada’s triangular enamel “V” logo slicing away at the hem to frame a wink of underboob. Construction here was key: the piece read less like underwear and more like an architectural paneling for the torso.
These tops were paired with high-waisted skirts in patchworks of midnight lace and waterfall satin, cinched with black ribbons knotted around the waist like afterthoughts. It was classic Prada through a new lens: the intellectual sensuality, the anti-obvious sex appeal, the refusal to deliver conventionally “flattering” shapes (though, for this Millennial, can I just say I'm happy to see some high-waisted silhouettes back on the runway; not all of us are cut out for the low-rise micro skirts from sister brand Miu Miu).
Prada
Prada
Prada
One look in particular refused to play by the rules: half skirt, half overall, its light-as-air fabric anchored to the shoulders before spilling outward, hovering around the waist and giving the illusion of floating—a direct subversion of the idea that clothes exist for utility. The contrast of modesty and sex was once again seen in satin micro-bloomers in a range of macaron-like pastel shades, paired with slouchy oversized button-ups and prim, girlish coats. Voluminous skirts, another Prada constant, appeared this season looking bulbous and crinkled, engineered to take up space without saying a word.
The show notes captured it perfectly: “Dispersion and reunion of different elements, unexpected and unanticipated, composed on the body. Juxtaposition here becomes an act of creation.”
For Prada and Simons, the push and pull of contrasts isn’t mere aesthetic—it’s a philosophy. And for Spring/Summer 2026, they showed us that when we free our clothes from their assigned meaning, and when we embrace the tension between opposite forces, the result can be something unexpected, arresting and unforgettable.
