For Spring 2027, Prada Puts the Humble Skirt Under the Microscope

This afternoon, inside a fluorescent-lit set at the Prada Foundation in Milan, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons contemplated the skirt. Almost every look from the spring 2027 collection featured a knee- or midi-length offering. Some were coldly severe wrap skirts with a slit as high as can go. Others came pleated and sheer, in faded Easter egg pastels. Still others arrived embellished with colorblock sequined floral panels or as kilt-like wool garments with raw edges and exposed, enlarged button hooks. Glass rhinestone flowers covered otherwise transparent swaying pencil skirts. This collection was grounded in classic Prada explorations of the ladylike: What does it mean to push feminine-coded pieces to their deliciously ugly extreme? How can we distort and play with conventions like the classic A-line skirt? And how desirable—and sumptuously perverse—can that skirt become when Prada and Simons embrace the just-off just enough?

These core garments were styled with the tiniest of bandeau and bralette tops, colorblock shirting (often with matching, gem-garnished bra tops layered over), simple V-neck sweaters and raw-hem sweater vests. A psychedelic micro floral skirt, with a slit so high the model’s silk underwear peeked through, was held together with a white bow. Barely there silk bra tops came with mini bags attached to the collarbone or breast. Leather pleated skirt-and-jacket sets in bleeding acid colors alternated motocross shoulder pads with Peter Pan collars. The collection felt like a true merger of Prada’s and Simons’s codes and curiosities. The power of Mrs. Prada’s artful, off-kilter woman embraced Simons’s subversive, industrial eye.

Accessories stood out. A violet snakeskin bag felt primed for streetwear obsession. Sunglasses were futuristic. Several were asymmetric; just one side came framed. Pink bows dressed up satin heels. Laser-cut black kitten heels were given floral brooches.

Since Simons joined Prada, some have suggested he stripped the erotic out of the house. This offering, with its high slits, clinical sheer skirting, and embrace of a singular fixation, works strongly against that notion. “We were fascinated by the way Prada skirts, not alone but in particular, stand the test of time,” Simons said, adding that this collection embraces reality. The subtext of desire and perversion came alive in Guido Palau’s undone, ratty hair—back from fall 2025 and wilder than ever. Is the Prada woman throwing on a floral skirt and bra top, hair unbrushed after who-knows-how-many sleepless nights? Has she come undone, or did she never care to polish herself to begin with?

The show, as always, had a stacked front row. A few seats down from Alexa Chung, Uma Thurman and daughter Maya Hawke sat side by side. Luca Guadagnino, Hunter Schafer, and Gabrielle Union sat beside them. It’s not hard to imagine today’s looks on these star-studded attendees.