Prada Real Fantasies Collection for Spring/Summer 2013

In a two-minute film accompanying the collection, Prada blends illustration and live action against 2D Terry Gilliam-esque backdrops. Models outfitted in business-like coats and collared jackets act as paper-doll protagonists in a surrealist, dystopian fantasy.

Wandering through identical doorways on nondescript floors, the characters hesitate and change directions, unsure of where their desires lie. Inkjet textures meld with clouds that resemble flowers. Though confined to stern silhouettes, details along the necklines, buttons, and sleeves are awash in painterly shades of umbre and crimson. Hints of traditional Japanese tailoring with thick sumi ink brushstrokes whisk the imagination to faraway lands.

Spray paint and stencil remnants echo the contrasting edges of standard tank tops. Yearning to express themselves artistically under the stifling austerity of sophistication, the characters break out of their paper-cut molds and draw on the walls; they inject color into their environment and take the means of production into their own hands. This collection seems to be Prada’s way of suggesting we do the same: break out of our humdrum routines and allow ourselves the freedom to travel and create.