At Prada, Statement Skirts, Utility Shirts and Unexpected Colour Pairings Formed a Fresh New Uniform

There's nothing quite like the buzz surrounding a Prada show. Not only is it one of the most important brands on the Milan Fashion Week schedule, but it's one of the most powerful, successful and influential luxury labels in the world, too. On a more practical level, however, Prada is the brand that stylish women turn to for some semblance of an everyday uniform—so each new collection acts as a pretty accurate predictor for how insiders will be dressing in the near future.

If the Spring/Summer 2026 collection is anything to go by, then, it seems that next year we'll all be wearing statement midi skirts, utility shirts, lashings of grey, and some wonderfully unexpected colour combinations. A classic Miuccia mix of easily elegant utilitarian glamour—that still feels fresh.

Held in a vast, orange-floored warehouse on the outskirts of Milan, the Prada SS26 show drew a typically starry front row, including longtime, high-profile devotees such as Emma Chamberlain, Carey Mulligan, Kerry Washington, Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink. They—along with the great and the good of the global fashion community—watched on in visible delight as models emerged in Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons' latest must-have designs.

Explaining the inspiration behind the collection, entitled 'Body of Composition', Mrs Prada said: "Inevitably, when we create we think about the world around us. The future is unknown. This collection is about reacting to the uncertain—clothes that can shift, change, adapt. In the combination of the different elements, in this idea of composition, there is a choice and freedom, authority and agency for the woman wearing them. It is fashion that is connected inherently to the world, with a meaning and usefulness. How to face the world, and how to survive."

Hence: pieces that are equal parts practical and innately chic, light and unrestrictive in their form, made to be moved around in and endlessly combined—often in unexpected ways. Silky evening minis were layered over contrasting bubble-style skirts; utilitarian jumpsuits were elevated with luxurious materials, and paired with silk opera gloves; leather jackets turned ladylike in pale pinks and greens; masculine overshirts topped bright satin bloomers, and grey workwear blazers were worn with soft matching bras.

The skirts were undoubtedly the stars of the show, however, and statement-making in all their forms. Some were made from puffed-up taffeta, while others came in bright jewel tones, high-waisted and tied up with a ribbon, and there were some simple(ish) black designs too. But the standouts were made up of a stylish mish-mash of materials, textures and tones: a high-fashion, luxurious Prada-coded take on Chopova, if you will.

As for the accessories, they were excellent as ever. Standouts included black structured leather bags—the new cult work bag, no doubt—, costume-style coloured crystal earrings, 'work in the front, party in the back' heels with diamanté tassels, and silk pouches reminiscent of dust bags that will (hopefully) make for a more entry-level investment.