Last season’s Prada invitation arrived with a pillow. This year, a moulded headband graced the mailbox’s metal walls. Upon arrival, guests tried to decipher what the show might entail. What could we possibly expect from the SS 24 Men’s collection. Could it be inspired by  a nineties David Beckham headwear trend or was there something more to the intricate one-piece molten shaped accessory?

As the doors closed, we all sat in silence, listening to the pulsating ambient noise from the speakers vibrating the floor beneath. Suddenly, luminescent white lights filled the room and the first model came strutting in a tailored silhouette with extended padded shoulders, flowing bell-sleeves and high-waisted ballooned bottoms, made from an ultra-fine light-weight wool fabric. The look encapsulated masculine suiting traditions as much as it questioned the conventional language of rigid tailoring.

Moments after the third look walked through, something gasp-worthy occurred above the steel mesh set: streams of goopy green slime hastily dripped from the suspended Fondazione Prada ceiling, creating a shield between the audience and their muse. Was the sticky display a reflection of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ examination of fluid architecture, or a nod to the sci-fi film, Alien, that we love and adore? Irrespectively, it was a spectacular moment that had the crowd cheering and oozing.

The goop shrouded the remaining 44 looks, which included a variety of monochromatic colour palettes paired with liquid-like patent loafers in shades of black, brown, green and blush. Cropped navy polo knits were paired with free-flowing low-rise washed indigo denim, echoing Miu Miu’s FW 2023 collection. At the halfway point, Nine Inch Nails’ ‘I Want to Fuck You Like An Animal’ blasted through the speakers. The colour palette then shifted to pale green, yellow, lavender and blush with oversized shirting and contrast collars taking centre stage. Tailored Drizabone-esque parkas were rendered in both technical nylon and black and red weathered leather. Multi-pocket utilitarian shirts and gilet were appliquéd with floral details, replacing function with decoration.

Animating the static, signature Prada holiday shirts were then reinterpreted with fringed floral prints, each decorated with corsages or elegant clusters of fur sprouting out the shoulders. The molten shaped headband, once fluid reappears as a solid statement, pulling back the models' hair. Mid-thigh pleated shorts were the overarching staple in this summer collection. Styled with soft unstructured blazers and a calf-high grand-dad sock, the bare leg was liberated and freed. So too was the Prada man, whose body was unfettered and gaudiness unleashed.

words HUGH BARTON