Less, but so much more at Prada Spring 2026 Menswear

Season after season, we find ourselves fawning over Prada’s runway presentations—each a masterclass in the house’s lexicon of contradictions. At the core of these so-called Prada-isms? Off-kilter yet entirely deliberate pairings, a fascination with opposing dress codes, a dishevelled take on femininity, and an unrelenting reverence for the past. For Spring 2026 Menswear in Milan, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons leaned confidently into these signatures—yet with an unexpected twist. Yes, the collection was rich in the surprising details we’ve come to expect—but the real surprise lay in its restraint. It felt, dare we say, like the most stripped-back iteration of Prada menswear we’ve seen to date—quietly radical in its minimalism.

Where others may interpret ‘pared back’ as a shortcut, Prada and Simons see it as a focus on quality over quantity, prioritising cut, colour, and construction over superfluous detail. For Spring 2026, 'less is more' isn’t just on the menu; it’s the blueprint.

Echoing this ethos? A parade of head-turning micro, balloon-style bloomers, first introduced with the debut look, paired with a crisp camp shirt, layered over a baby blue turtleneck, and finished with glossy, toeless loafers. The Paul Mescal effect? Alive and well.

In typical Prada fashion, the lines of traditional 'dress codes' weren’t merely blurred—they were dismantled. Tailored blazers appeared alongside track tops and pants. Military-style tasselled knits were teamed with those barely-there bloomers. Roman-esque sandals rubbed shoulders with executive peacoats and utilitarian nylon backpacks. Are they off to the beach, the office, or the gym? The answer is all three.

Nautical references were reimagined with a deft, non-literal hand: slashed-neck navy jumpers with exaggerated white stitching, red roll-cuffed shorts, coloured socks in canvas sneakers, and breezy pea coats with leather boat shoes. Anchoring the look? Fringed, conical rattan hats that bordered on the absurd yet felt entirely right.

Building on the momentum of Autumn/Winter 2025, Spring introduced a new palette of 'why didn’t we think of that?' colour combinations. Ruby red met cornflower blue; sage green married bubblegum pink; mustard found harmony with baby blue.

And perhaps the collection’s most compelling trait? Its limitless versatility. Where many labels attempt and falter, Prada delivered a truly ready-to-wear offering—the type that could be plucked straight from the runway and into your wardrobe. A duck-egg blue cotton trouser could pair just as effortlessly with a caramel leather jacket as it could with a charcoal camp shirt. Said camp shirt? Equally suited to tailored trousers or khaki bloomers.

Prada Spring 2026 menswear plays like a tangible wardrobe of cut-and-paste possibilities—a high-fashion paper doll fantasy poised to be worn, mixed and reimagined all season long.

PRADA.COM/NZ