Milan Fashion Week: Miuccia Prada brings childlike wonder back to fashion

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Showing her collection against the backdrop of a two-story, dollhouse-like set, Miuccia Prada brought childlike wonder back to fashion.

The collection revolved around short coats and coatdresses with low-slung belts, oversized buttons and a 1960s vibe. They came in powdery colors, sheer solids or windowpane checks, decorated with contrast piping, shag fur or silver-dollar-sized paillettes that jingled when models walked.

There was a homespun, Butterick-pattern feel to these clothes, a sweet naivete that hearkened back to a time before luxury brands had name recognition with toddlers, when style and fashion were learned at home.

Paired with glittery, two-tone boots with Mary-Jane-style straps, plush caps with chin straps, and round sunglasses, the collection built on the mod trend we saw at Burberry in London.

But more than that, as the models clutched their handbags close like teddy bears, it was a reminder of how we all fell in love with fashion in the first place -- as children playing with dolls and dollhouses, dressing in our Sunday best, and thinking our mothers were the most stylish people on the planet.

-- Booth Moore in Milan, Italy

Prada fall-winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

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