Milan menswear (and women's): Prada's technicolour travellers

Miuccia Prada showed her hotly anticipated SS17 menswear (though it is now billed as men's and women's) in Milan yesterday in a psychedelic show-space that provided the perfect backdrop for her technicolour traveller's theme.

Having lost its influence in previous seasons to more cutting edge designers, such as Gucci's new wonderboy Alessandro Michele, Prada needed to shake things up a bit and did. The collection shown in Milan had its sights firmly set on the future but there were some references to Prada's glorious past.

The nylon Prada rucksack which sent the brand into the stratosphere in the 90s was back. This time it was far larger than its ancestors and wittily accessorised with dainty shoes and bags dangling from the sides where, on the average traveller, one might expect to see water bottles and tools. (Of course, luxe accessories is where Prada makes its money so they had to be incorporated somewhere and the vision of trekking up a mountain and being prepared just in case there was a fabulous party taking place at the summit is a rather nice one).

The clothes had an elevated sports/active theme with billowing silk coats, colourful cagoules and sporty sandals (reminiscent, again, of the 90s but this time the Prada Sport line that proved so popular). Colours were eye-poppingly bright but, for a more commercial take and for Prada's die-hard minimalist fans, there was plenty of black too.

One senses those rucksacks will be the thing that sets tills ringing in Prada boutiques next Spring, whether we'll be accessorising them with expensive shoes and handbags is another matter.