Lawrence Steele, an American who has lived in Milan since he first designed for Prada in the late eighties, pulled ideas from the thirties through the seventies into a collection for shoppers who demand a shot of opulence in their fashion cocktail.
Steele hit a glam sporty note with tracksuits made of burgundy crushed velvet; for extra flash, the evening version came in a strapless gold lame. Worn with high heels and Lurex socks, and maybe a little knit cloche jammed on the head, these are clearly clothes for girls who get their workouts on the dance floor. Short printed or sheer dresses with big sleeves slid off the shoulder and were hitched at the waist with tasseled silk rope belts, while a gold Lurex turtleneck came with a long trailing scarf to match. Underscored with off-hand furs—most successfully, a rabbit bomber and a shaggy patchwork coyote coat—the overall effect was kooky-deluxe. And when Steele turned on Princess Superstar's outrageously suggestive "Bad Babysitter" rap, the audience had trouble hiding its blushes.
