Prada A Milano
THE BEST BOOKS AREALWAYS THE ONES WENEVER KNEW EXISTED. DISCOVERING ONE - LIKETHIS VISUAL HISTORY OF PRADA IN THE EIGHTIES - IS LIKE SPOTTING A NEW STAR. WE COULD NAME IT, IF IT DID NOT HAVE ALREADY HAVE A TITLE... PRADA A MILANO.
Enters the chart at number one. Albert Watson's best book from the cover alone. And who knew? Not us. Published in 1988, the year of the first Prada pret a porter collection and almost a full ten years after Miuccia had taken over full creative direction of the company from her mother, who in turn had succeeded her father, who had himself founded Prada as a leather goods company in 1913.
Sex appeal. The bag beautifully set off by the self-censoring (Instagram safe) model. Who wouldn't want to share a bed with a 1976 nylon and calf Prada shoulder bag?
Above left, ever so eighties with satin dress and ostrich wallet. To the right, a hint of things to come - the folkish gypsy print, morning coffee, charm bracelet and the matt black wallet. The nineties would belong to Prada.
Now that's a bag - simply described in this book as bag with metal rings. It is paired with an unmade bed. Such casual, causal elegance. This bag is from 1985, the year that the Miuccia designed Pocone nylon handbag became the first worldwide IT bag of the new Prada, the next decade, and (at least the first few years of) the new millennium. See more of this superbook on this link. The future as it was.