My thoughts on Prada

I’ve been meaning to talk about the Spring/Summer 2011 collection but never got round to it, partly because I’m not impressed with the efforts rolled out on the runway. In the footwear department, with a few notable exceptions here and there, most designers rolled out classic silhouettes such as espadrilles and more espadrilles which you can easily get in High Street shops, but none bothered me as much as Prada’s cheap-looking candy-cane mary-janes and especially the espadrille/foam platform brogues. You know what I’m talking about:

The moment I saw them I thought of the horror which is:

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate flat shoes, and I own several pair of brogues which I’ve worn to death. However, adding jute and foam seems to have cheapened the shoes. Then again it doesn’t really matter in the inner circle of the high fashion community just because it’s PRADA, as evidenced by the numerous number of people sporting the brogues in Men’s Fashion Week.

And with that, the foam brogues have become this season’s It shoes. Sure it can be whimsical and fun, but it’s not worth the money when I can DIY it myself.

Prada has also spearheaded the latest trend which has been aptly named FLATFORMS, together with Michael Kors and Derek Lam. I foresee a bleak future ahead, or at least til the Fall/Winter shows begin in a few weeks.