The result was a collection that exuded sensuality from every seam. Out came the models, purses swinging, walking with the confidence and breeding of uptown girls. ''Sincere chic,'' Prada called it in her program notes, but as last season, when the designer took a hallucinogenic trip to the countryside, nothing in this nice part of town was quite as it seemed. Belle de Jour'' for sexuality steaming under a well-bred exterior. Sexy is difficult,'' Prada said backstage. So is the functional sportswear that Prada's nylon bag originally generated, although the show had subtle inserts of athletic mesh.
Women crave a return to feminine, light-hearted and desirable fashion.
Prada delivered it by taking all the elements of classic womanly fashion, many of them referring to Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s, and lightening them up. The evening clothes especially were super-light, not to say flimsy, with their wispy fabrics held in flat pleats with metal eyelets or with just ribbon ties at the open sides. But they were never vulgar. Max Mara, a mainstream fashion house, was also on the Saint Laurent track of femininity with sleek chic. Take a chiffon blouse with airy tucked sleeves and pair it with a pair of crisp knee-length shorts.