Prada Is Making Grandma-Chic Streetwear a Thing

If Miuccia Prada's marabou-trimmed pajamas seemed to invite fantasy last season, Fall '17 is all practicality. Well, practical on Prada's terms. Miuccia reimagines the everyday wardrobe with quirky details that become coveted season after season. We haven't wanted puka shells this badly since the sixth grade, but that's Miuccia's magic. Whimsical looks downright sophisticated, a meeting of the minds between the clothes you may have plucked from Grandma's closet — corduroy suiting and sweet knitwear — and the streetwear shown off all over Fashion Week.

Through all of it, there's a story of womanhood, a common thread that fixes the present to the past. For anyone who underestimates fashion's ability to do that, it's right here. In fact, the message was posted to the walls of the set: "Fashion is about the everyday and the everyday is the political stage of our freedom. We have decided to look at the role women have had in the shaping of modern society." And, indeed, Prada pays homage to feminism. There's strength in the clothes: boots that ground the vintage-feeling coats and fringed dresses, a lineup of wearable, durable outerwear, and more literal nods, too — portraits of women sewn into the fabric. The symbolism isn't lost on us; Miuccia just artfully packages her delivery.

If this is an ode to women, we consider seasonless, functional fashion a part of that. Honoring her lifestyle is presenting her with options that reflect her reality: coats and boots to bundle up in, finished in shearling and leather. We have to believe that including both riding boots and jeweled sandals is a wink at climate change, if not to the fact that women want year-round wardrobes. Because for every fantasy-inducing furry slide the fashion girl is after, Prada's customer is a brainy, busy woman; and smart and stylish aren't mutually exclusive here.