As 2021 shapes up to be the year that we return to the dancefloor, Mrs Prada and Raf Simons were on hand to deliver a chic memorandum on how to dress up for the club. If, like us, you’ve forgotten how to wear anything that’s not elasticated, Prada’s AW21 collection will offer a succinct sartorial guide. Note the sequin-coated slips (guaranteed to shimmer when you dance), the swaddling nylon and faux-fur coats (ideal to ward off the chill while you wait for the Uber) and the throbbing Richie Hawtin soundtrack.
The ingenious, finishing touch? A haute glove purse that will see you bypass the coat check and go entirely ‘hands-free’. From zinging geometric opera gloves (styled with faux-fur shawls, cinching polo-neck knit catsuits and plunging sweater dresses) to neat gauntlets—the practical pouches we’ve all been hooked on ever since the rebirth of the bum bag (circa 2017) have undergone an alluring overhaul. (Think: Hitchcock heroine does Berghain).
Granted, there’s just enough room for a lip balm plus a single house key and certainly no space for a smartphone. Which is perhaps the most powerful Prada-Simons addendum of all — the suggestion that when we return to the dancefloor this autumn, we can leave the content-making at home and just enjoy the moment. Something Marc Jacobs referred to in the post-show round table as “the art of living”.
