PRADA" Full Show Autumn Winter 2013 2014 Milan p a p Menswear by FashionChannel Getting that first glimpse of the staging for a Prada collection is almost as highly anticipated as the show itself. Always evocative, the sets by Rem Koolhass' company OMA are often the only hint the audience gets to which direction the intellectual designer is headed. This season the company's mise-en-scène was one of the most compelling installations it has ever done for Prada. On a raised platform, the firm gave a futuristic spin on the interiors of an "ideal house" that were reminiscent of styles favored in the late 1960s. Framing these domestic scenes, filled with stiff foam furniture and plexiglass or wood accessories, were images of cityscapes projected through oversized "windows" that featured a frolicking feline. When the first model began to weave himself though the different sets he became a character in Prada's theatrical reinterpretation of a contemporary life. And what about the clothes? Prada produced one of her most user-friendly, classically beautiful and wearable collections in recent memory. Gone were the over wrought prints, the dramatic proportions and odd accessories. In there place were traditional, almost safe, garments that hinted to their Prada parentage in uniquely subtle ways. A single button houndstooth suit would have the trousers end just above the ankle and feature a black velvet lapel. Conventional round neck sweaters or the covetable washed leather jackets would come out in shades of blue, red, and green. But the colors were unusual -slightly off- and thus could be identified as being born in the Prada studio. And it was the thick grip soles on the footwear that gave a designer twist to a typical pair of business shoes. The overall result was a collection designed to have a long shelf life in a man's closet rather than be replaced in six months time. But for those who prefer their Prada to be more avant garde, well the gingham ruffled tuxedo shirts that appeared right at the end of the show should keep them happy until next season when Prada will once again change the fashion conversation. Speaking of which, for those who are salivating over the sets as much as the show. Your in luck, OMA is doing a 12 piece collection of some of the mock up designs featured in the show for Knoll and, just like the Prada clothing, these designs will be available at the end of the year.