Truly a unique and innovative venture into the world of eyewear (but then again, when is Prada anything but original?), Prada’s spring/summer 2011 line known as Minimal-Baroque, the “capsule collection of baroque eyewear,” used multiple avenues of inspiration.
“The idea takes its inspiration from the spring/summer 2011 womenswear collection and represents a truly creative fil rouge,” said Prada.
The Minimal-Baroque eyewear line held triple deluxe models that paved the way for three up-and-coming illustrators – Marcela Gutierrez (left), Andrea Tarella (middle) and Ivo Bisognano (right) – to work their magic and create what became the brain child of the Minimal-Baroque capsule. Miuccia Prada hired the three herself to design Prada’s sunglasses lookbook based on the shows in Milan and Beijing.
Prada described the “project” as “deluxe eyewear from the show with a decidedly baroque style, homage to colour, to fun and above all originality.” Extracting the “baroque” out of the sunglasses and giving them a human element was definitely a fashion forward, avant garde move by Prada.
The next step for the Minimal-Baroque line was “From Drawings to Pictures,” and it was all about collaboration and creation. The house just released two new styles of shades from the collection last May, turning the specs into literal pieces of art and coacting with Vogue Talents (the annual supplement of a special section within the Vogue Italia’s digital platform called Vogue.it, and dedicated to finding new talents in fashion) to commission a team of eight modernly florid photographers – Federica Di Giovanni, Kuba Dabrowski (right), Ciraudo Majola, Mattia Buffoli, Rosi di Stefano, Tassili Calatroni (below), Tatiana Uzlova and Tomás Nogueira (left). These lensmen were responsible for “interpreting the new Minimal-Baroque styles in a pop-comic manner,” and creating a series of photographs out of their interpretations.
The photos ranged from convivial to elegant, and went on display with the shades in Prada stores in Milan, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Istanbul, Madrid and New York. The aesthetic of the new specs were still a part of the deluxe rococo design that was originally created for the Milan and Beijing Prada fashion shows, although the two later versions are adorned with swirls on either the rims or temples, but not simultaneously.
Both of the Minimal-Baroque styles of sunglasses range from $290 to $390 and are intended to be part of limited edition. So you better pick yours up before they expire!
