There Won’t Be Any Stilettos At Prada this Spring
Model Milena Litvinovskaya opens the Spring Summer 2017 Prada show in Milan, Italy. Photo: Getty Images
There was a lot going on at the Prada show today—catwalk vets Racquel Zimmerman and Arizona Muse returning to the runway, TV stars Alison Williams and Connie Britton appearing in a video backdrop, and a new model—Russian teen Milena Litvinovskaya—inspiring the show’s bobbed hair with her own DIY chop. (Don’t worry, beauty purists—the haircut was seriously cleaned up by Redken’s Guido Palau before showtime.)
But even with the celebrity infusion (Frida Pinto is also, somehow, in that video…), the focus of most fashion junkies went elsewhere: to the shoes.
Most were fuzzy. Some were rubber-bottomed. A few had leather flowers stuck onto the uppers. But none—none!—had spiky stiletto heels. For an accessories giant like Prada, that’s a huge deal—and the industry noticed.
Photos: (L) Imax Tree, ® Getty Images
“I had a hard time following the film while following Prada’s collection,” tweeted the Wall Street Journal’s Christina Binkley, “But it’s the shoes that I’ll remember.”
After the show, blogger Susie Lau, who stars in Prada’s latest online fragrance campaign, said her obsession was “the slippers.”
And most of Instagram hashtagged their flat-shoe posts with a single word: #Dreams.
They were… but familiar ones. After all, with Gucci’s furry loafers selling out of every flagship boutique, Brother Vellies’ handcrafted goat hair flats winning a CFDA Award, and Rihanna’s fuzzy Fenty slides commanding double their market price on eBay, Muppet-themed flats seem like a sure thing. And for Prada—a brand with incredible style cred but falling sales—that’s exactly what they need.
As for what future shoppers need, we asked Leila Zandonai—who happens to be an exclusive model for Prada this season—if flat, fuzzy shoes made it easier or harder to look great on the catwalk.
“Oh, I love them. I love it all,” said the Brazilian teen. “It’s like my first show ever, and I’m not even nervous because the shoes are so easy!”
We bet they’ll still be expensive, though…
Yahoo Style is live from #FashionMonth! Keep it here for your front row view of the best looks and buzziest moments from Fashion Month.
