Open any social media app right now, and you'll likely stumble upon the many celebrity surprises at Prada's Fall 2026 fashion show: Mark Zuckerberg unexpectedly sitting front-row (part of the brand's partnership with Meta) alongside WNBA player Caitlin Clark and Love Story star Sarah Pidgeon, Bella Hadid taking four laps around the runway staged inside Milan's Fondazione Prada. But from my bleacher seat at the Italian fashion house's SoHo flagship for an early-morning livestream, the moments that made me do a double take had very little to do with the A-listers filling up the screen.
Over the course of the 60-look fashion show, co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons sent the same models down the runway several times in one outfit, followed by déjà-vu-inducing remixes of that original ensemble. It was a nod to how your look can evolve over the course of a day, as you add or shed layers. What was equally intriguing, though, were the blink-and-you'll-miss-them details that deserved a secondary livestream of their own (or, at the very least, a dedicated coffee table book full of up-close photos).
I first thought I was hallucinating when I set eyes on the outerwear. What from afar seemed like a classic, boxy barn jacket or a wool overcoat became much more opulent upon closer look, with inner linings and undersides of collars dripping with teardrop-shaped beads or splashes of clear crystals.
Not every garment needed as obvious of an outer layer for the same "Surprise!" effect. A sweater over a button-down and straight-leg pants looked completely classic, until my eyes traveled down to the model's feet, where cartoon flowers bloomed all over her socks. Knee-high, lace-up boots in shades of pastel yellow and blue seemed like they were serving the function of a proverbial pop of color; zoom in, and they're coated in Dr. Seuss-ish feathers for a hint of texture play.
In silhouette, these are pieces that could fit neatly into a Prada-head's archive dating back to the 1990s—or they could liven up a more everyday dresser's jeans and sweaters. Either way, they'll make you look.
Prada fashion shows reward the viewers paying close attention. Even the more easily replicable flourishes aren't immediately obvious, and they're often an Easter egg toward a past collection. Take the line-up of shirts with extra-oversize cuffs, jutting out from beneath roomy leather bomber jackets, glitchy knit zip-ups, and cropped parkas—those are nods to Prada's Fall 2026 menswear line, which debuted just weeks ago. Models who made their second or third lap down the runway in sheer, organza tops and dresses were calling back to the sheer layers that have become a brand signature, seen as recently as Spring 2026 and as far back as Spring 1997. Even without official show notes, the message was clear enough: These outfits aren't just distinct—they last.
On the whole subway ride home and throughout my morning, I kept scrolling back to the close-up shots of the collection. I fantasized about layering in Prada's decadent new barn jacket, yes, but I also thought of all the ways I could achieve the same "Wait, what?" styling with what I already own. I contemplated pairing my winter-to-spring ballet flats with printed socks instead of plain solid ones; I considered more garish color combinations, or wearing one big statement earring by itself, just because.
Overflowing with outfit possibilities, I slacked my colleague another zoomed-in photo with my final thoughts: "I'm SICK!" Prada's fashion show, I've decided, is style that doesn't settle at turning heads. It makes you feel something.
Every Prada Fall 2026 Fashion Show Look
