MIUCCIA’S DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

by LUIGI TORRE

In one of his many visionary works during the 60’s, philosopher Marshall McLuhan once wrote that humor would be one of the most emphatic and powerful ways of critical thinking in the year to come. And if we consider this true (as we do), we could affirm with quite assurance that Miuccia Prada is not only one of fashion’s greats social critic and thinker, but also a damn good joker.Her SS12 collection, one of the most symbolic of the season, was a big laugh in the face of the luxury and fashion elite. If we were to pick an essential characteristic about Miuccia Prada’s work, I’d probably say it is irony. The capacity to empty, subvert and re-shape the meaning of certain symbols has been pivotal in the way she approaches any given theme, message or question.

Just as areminder, we are talking about the woman who made a whole statement about ugliness, making it not, well, pretty, but also desirable and hip. She was one of the responsible for propagating the nerd-cool esthetic of the early 2000s, has just the thing for making anything tacky, fashionable and is very well known for playing with opposites as if both sides were meant to be together

At her SS12 collection, the first message revolved around the concept for sweetness: whether it is something imposed upon women, or a natural thing or even choice? Why do men expect that from the opposite sex? And by doing that are they objectifying female counterparts just as they do with cars?All these questions resulted in a 40’s / 50’s inspired collection, filled with pastel tone colors, feminine pleated dresses, bustier with slim high waist skirts (almost fetish gear turned sweet), some delicate floral, flower-shaped jewels necklaces and earrings and flamed car prints, with a kind of childish feel of them. And all that complete with a kind of American housewives realness. The very same common American housewives that were expected to treat their car loving husbands with feminine tender and kindness. And by doing just that, Mrs. Prada opened room for a lot more interpretation and, well, some witty fun.If I were to pick an essential characteristic about Miuccia Prada’s work, I’d probably say it is irony. It is with this quality that she now approaches the 50’s scenario. A period infused with Elvis rock’n’roll energy and the upbeat optimism of the (then promising) American Dream. A dream that soon started to prove hard to come true, leaving that typical American Way of Life (and way of dressing) in a sort of hermetic sub-culture, trapped in realms of places like Midwest USA and Florida.It is this suburban middle class look, once considered by (fashion) elite as tacky or tasteless that now sets the tone for Prada’s SS12 collection. And since we are talking about one of the most influential brands of present times, we can assure that it is this same suburban Americana look that will make a lot of luxury consumers desperate to adopt this… Well, desperate housewife look.This is not the first season Miuccia taps into the banal or the common to make it ironically desirable and luxury appropriate. But what makes this even more interesting and relevant is the economic and social context Mrs. Prada has inserted it. In other words, making the 99% style trendy.
By ROMEU SILVEIRA / December 25, 2011 / DOCS /
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