For Fall 2026, Prada Unfolds All the Layers of a Modern Woman

In case you were wondering how to dress for our current topsy-turvy world, Prada has a few suggestions. The label—which often ends up setting the major trends during fashion month with its new collections—presented a beautifully unsettling example of what to wear for fall 2026 during its Milan runway show. True to Miuccia Prada’s own personal style (and the house codes since day one), Prada twisted its original mission with a heavy dose of awkward-but-good layering, weird proportions, and constant juxtaposition between closet heroes, like a trenchcoat, but one with impracticalities, like bejeweled lining.

The collection opened with a series of tailored, slightly shrunken coats paired with sporty rainbows of multicolor scarves, XL cuffs, and dimensional furry ties. One coat was layered with a bright-yellow cropped parka cape that recalled a life vest. Much like Mrs. Prada does when she takes her bow at shows, many of the models clutched their coats closed with one hand. The designer’s uniform of sweaters with midi skirts was also replicated and reinvented. Pastel kitten heels dripped with mini chandelier-shaped crystals, paired with equally embellished socks.

To get to the heart of the collection, one had to examine the layering. Wild, chaotic, and free-spirited, the piles of clothes acted as an anchor—thick leathers collided with sheer skirts worn alongside big sweaters. An element of unconventionally dressing a so-called “wrong way” that defies both workwear and formalwear was cemented through combinations, like the aforementioned heels and socks. A pretty pink dress was peeled back to reveal a supersize striped scarf underneath. Designers have been talking about dressing and designing with unfettered emotion this season, and one could easily see how these dramatic fusions had an urgent, spontaneous feel.

Elements of deconstruction—like intentional wrinkles or purposeful rips in the fabrics—were littered with pops of delight, like bursts of sheer floral prints or bejeweled beadwork skirts, each one stacked on top of the other. Excess fabric trailed from hems, and every look was finished off with another Prada signature, messy hair.

Elsewhere, 1950s-style dresses were given the sporty Raf Simons treatment with a zipper plunging down the front. Shirts were worn open, and even shorts and crop tops came with sheer layers peeking out from underneath. The brand called it “a reflection of the multifaceted realities of women and the complexities of life,” and said Mrs. Prada and Simons were informed by “a fascination with the process of layering, of transforming through the day, through your clothes.” The models in the show, it turns out, were not changing into entirely different looks—rather, they were taking off layers backstage, emerging in a new outfit consisting of what lay beneath.

With fashion brands already tapping AI for picture-perfect ad campaigns, Prada’s fall 2026 collection heads in the opposite direction. Here, we see the potential of unrestrained, intentionally imperfect dressing, unchained by algorithms. Embrace the beautiful glitches. They’re elements only a human could create.