Miuccia Prada’s Spring 1998 show was full of neat shifts, ladylike suits, and camp-ready shirts and capris, many in crisp white suggesting that the designer was in a minimal mood—until one looked down. The models’ colored satin mules with Lucite heels spoke of sex (and retail pleasure) quite directly. Combining rough linen with rubber finished off with industrial Velcro closures that undercut the material’s usual fetishistic associations, the clothing, as always, invited engagement and exploration. Chez Prada, things are not always what they seem.
