Prada’s Productless Perfume Party

Tag : Men s Boots
Pradas Almost Product Free Perfume Party Godfrey Deeny
June 23rd, 2008 @ 00:42 AM - Milan
Few things are more painful than watching a major luxury label getthings badly wrong, which was very much the dismaying case Sundaynight in Milan when Prada decided to launch its latest menscologne and made it tricky for most guests to actually smell thevery product.

Instead, the Italian brand staged a runway show unveiling itsspring 2009 mens collection and then projected a series of nineshort experimental movies whose brief was to challenge the idea ofa perfume for a man; to produce visionary content inspired bysensory association of the Infusion dHomme perfume.

Largely pretentious visual ramblings by avant-garde cineastes,shown in semi darkness to around 500 people, these mini clipsfeatured everything from verbal ramblings to images of a monkeyawaking as it senses a new smell. Quite why an Italian label feelsthe need to name its newest cologne with a French title was neverterribly clear, nor why the scent was nigh impossible to simplysniff. Few senior editors who attended when questioned thefollowing morning reported actually smelling the cologne, or evenseeing a bottle, though at one stage waiters did walk around in thegloom with trays bearing tiny bottles of the new scent.

Fragrance launches normally involve guests sensing the new cologneor perfume on scent sticks; and leaving with a flacon of the stuff.But nothing could be so simple for Prada, especially after acurious runway show, whose main conceptual thread involved menwearing clothes many of which seemed borrowed from theirgirlfriends - fashion it was hard to see many of them wearingoutside their own homes. Do guys really want to walk out the doorin sweaters that reveal their navel? Will men hang out in theirsqueeze's Lacoste style soft collar shirt dress, paired with blacksocks? In a word, unlikely.

A mono-color, print free collection the clothes big distinguishingfeature was the fact that all the jackets, blousons and dressinggowns had an interior elastic strap that looped around each modelsneck; a curious accoutrement whose function was unclear other thanto help the garment hang open on the catwalk. That last was thereal star of this event; a brilliant stage set of miniature woodenplatforms and mini hills, in between which rambled the shows cast.Few of the styling tricks - like wrapping a rubber band around allthe boots and shoes - seemed terribly innovative, and, remarkablyfor Prada the clothes looked not at all new.

It did not help Pradas plans that a quirk of scheduling meant thatthe perfume launch began shortly before Italys national soccerteam began playing a key quarter final in Euro 2008.

From fascism to democracy, Miuccia Prada commented to FWD,referring to her last womens collection, an austere vision ofauthoritative ladies. Yet, it seemed an odd view of theparticipatory democracy when you dont allow the voters much chanceto look at the goods. In a word, an ill-conceived moment fromItalian fashions greatest conceptualist, and also a bad omen.Spain eliminated Italy on penalties two hours later.