Prada calls menswear show 'uncomfortable' as Dolce & Gabbana face casting criticism

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons said backstage after their menswear show in Milan on Sunday that the volatile present moment was difficult to translate into a collection, and described the resulting presentation as "uncomfortable." The collection mixed disparate elements within single outfits, including a red sou'wester worn over a trenchcoat and a yellow scoop-neck jumper with shirt cuffs falling out of the sleeve, alongside deconstructed tailoring and unexpected styling details.

Simons said the deconstructed shirt cuffs were a way to reject the image of the political elite: "We don’t want the American corporate kind of masculine power," he said, and he added that designers must ask themselves daily about their role amid changing connections between fashion and politics.

Dolce & Gabbana’s Saturday show, titled The Portrait of Man, drew criticism for what looked like an entirely white cast of models. Fashion commentators including Blakely Neiman Thornton, Louis Pisano, Brown Fashion Girl, boringnotcom and Lyas posted on Instagram; Lyas called it "50 shades of white" and his video received more than 41,000 likes, with many comments supporting his argument.

Key Topics

Culture, Prada, Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons, Dolce & Gabbana, Milan