Even before Prada became the “Official Supplier of the Italian Royal Household,” the luggage-maker and purveyor of luxury objects was favored by the gratin of European society. After Miuccia took over in 1978, Prada quietly became the go-to brand for the creative class and the fashion intelligentsia. The designer’s first “hit” wasn’t made of leather at all. It was a nylon backpack made of an industrial nylon used by the military for tents and parachutes, and despite its luxury price tag or perhaps because of it, it became a status symbol of the ’90s. Over time, Prada’s fans would learn to expect the unexpected, and that’s what she delivered for Spring 1995, using utilitarian nylon to revitalize the classic sheath. It shared the runway with tailored pieces and vintage-inspired, lingerie-style dresses. A platinum-haired Linda Evangelista wore a floral-embroidered see-through halter number. Prada’s one concession to modesty was to layer her sweet temptations over tap pants.
