Prada parades '40s look for fall

FALL 2000 Collections: Prada Dolce & Gabbana Michael Kors Ralph Lauren Marc Jacobs

March 16, 2000
Web posted at: 4:40 p.m. EST (2140 GMT)

	GALLERY
Click through the collection

MILAN, Italy (CNN) -- Somewhere in her subconscious, Miuccia Prada must have imagined a return to the 1940s as she created a 2000 fall/winter collection. The proof is in her outfits, which emphasize strong tailoring reminiscent of the era, with fitted tops and flared skirts.

"It's funny, because when we started designing clothes, I didn't realize until the end I was going in that direction," she says. "My husband came in one day and said, 'You are doing '40s.'"

Prada's coats and suit are narrow at the waist, and the skirts are fuller and longer. "The skirts are very often bias skirts -- a little around the knee, a little bit down the knee," she says.

The suit is a nonmatched set, Prada adds. "The top is in one color, and the skirt is in another," she says. "They are not the same material."

Miuccia Prada

Mixing fabrics, Prada says, gives ensembles an "elegant and sporty" appearance. She pairs thick tweeds and wools with light georgette crepes.

"It's all about some heavy masculine fabrics in tweeds," she says, "and something very, very light and feminine."

As for accessories, Prada's new piece is the fur collar, tied casually around the neck. Her shoe has a platform sole and open toe. And the coveted Prada handbag is practical, like a piece of luggage.

CNN Style Correspondent Elsa Klensch contributed to this report.

Backless and belted: Prada for fall
March 14, 1999
Flashy, flared and pleated -- Prada for spring
October 20, 1998
Bag it! Chanel, Prada accessories for fall
September 18, 1998
Prada plays with prints and fabrics
October 17, 1997
Back to basics for Prada
March 14, 1997

Prada (Opening soon)

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.