New Style Idea

Legs and feet are forewarned:  Next year, the mini and the pump are poised to make their big comebacks.

Both were on full display Friday at Prada’s spring ’22 show, a runway event that took place in both Milan and Shanghai simultaneously for an IRL-meets-digital extravaganza that presented the women’s show look-by-look in two different cities across the world (a sign of the times not just in pandemic travel restrictions but also of the bifurcation of China and the rest of the world, in more ways than one).

For anyone growing tired of the long, floaty nap dresses and pajama-like pants and sweats of pandemic fashion, Prada’s collection featured the opposite in its silhouettes. It was a change of pace that Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons called “a seduction through reduction” (so read the opening line of the show notes).

Other brands are also bringing back the mini for spring ’22, but the co-creative directors did it the Prada way, in satin with crisp lines and the duo’s now-signature palette of hues. Some of the miniskirts also came with straight, mid-length trains in the back, giving a new look to the high-low hemline (and a little more coverage for those interested in returning to the mini but needing more modesty in it). Other mini hemlines came in sweet shifts in pastel hues, such as a cotton candy pink or mint green satin shift (signature hues of Prada’s Bar Luce at Milan’s Fondazione Prada) with brand’s triangular logo detailing on the chest.

All looks were paired with the pointiest and sharpest of pumps. It’s an apparent preference for Simons, as the shape has slowly but surely made its way back into the Prada collection since the Belgian designer joined Miuccia Prada as co-creative director of the brand in 2020 (despite last season’s showing of big, chunky platforms). The pointy pumps came in slick patent leathers and the same saturated colors. They also featured the brand’s triangular logo, which maintains a cult following among fashion enthusiasts worldwide.