For the entire period, the Prada Book event will completely takeover the one of a kind art bookshop in Moscow. The show ties in with a major exhibition at the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, 100 Years of Performance (Version #3, June, Moscow) featuring artist Francesco Vezzoli and culminating in a performance festival in September.

The Prada book was launched in November 2009, and has been translated into six languages. The 708-page book documents the extraordinary partnership between Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli over the last three decades, and traces the experimental and groundbreaking work of Prada in fashion, architecture, film, art and beyond. It is the story of an iconic and revered brand that defies convention with every turn of the page.

In the photo below (taken at the event), Adele Chatfield-Taylor admires the medal around Miuccia Prada’s neck.

The 6th annual event drew a glamorous, international crowd that included Miuccia Prada herself, Patrizio Bertelli, the Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno, Sid and Mercedes Bass, Adele Chatfield-Taylor, John Guare, Larry Gagosian and Shala Monroque, John Elkann, Pietro Valsecchi and Camilla Nesbitt, Zaha Hadid, Marco and Afef Tronchetti Provera, Carla Fendi, Franca Sozzani and Francesco Vezzoli.

Proceeds from the Gala support fellowships that provide both Italian and American winners with important opportunities to pursue their individual studies and engage in an international dialogue of scholarship and the arts. Funds raised by the event allow Italian artists to join the Academy community each year, and support an exchange program for scholars in the humanities that links the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa with the American Academy in Rome.

The McKim Medal was established by the Trustees of the American Academy in Rome in 2005 as an annual prize that honors an individual whose work internationally – most particularly in Italy and the United States- has contributed significantly to the arts and humanities. Named for Charles Follen McKim (1847-1909), noted architect who established the Academy in 1894, the Medal recognizes an individual whose work and life exemplify creative and intellectual exchange across the arts, scholarship, language, and culture. Previous McKim Medal laureates include Renzo Piano, Cy Twombly, Umberto Eco, Franco Zeffirelli, and Ennio Morricone.

In recent times on the fashion runways, Prada models have featured messy versions of pigtails, and most notably, Prada’s mannequins in high-end New York boutiques also sport the twin ponies. Are you wearing pigtails this Summer?

Echoing the mood of the spring/summer collection the film undoubtedly finds a balance between sophistication and innocence, nature and artifice. The coquettish model is at once childlike and provocative, suggestively playing with her pigtails whilst air-kissing words through vermillion lips. A schizophrenic score by Frédéric Sanchez shifts between a summertime lullaby and contemporary electronic beats.

Using the Red Digital Camera a sequence of single-frame campaign, images are taken directly from the action of the high-resolution footage. The continuous filming motion allows for greater spontaneity than conventional photography, and creates a softer, dream-like quality to the images.

Stripped back of any additional visual references the spare, white background combined with close-cropping places the focus on to the rich hyper real prints. It draws us closer to the crystal-encrusted bags underscoring the intrinsic relationship of fashion to the body.

Three further versions of the film have been made for the Eye wear Collection featuring wide transparent fluorescent sun frames in multiple colourways.

This unique and inspirational approach to presenting the new womens wear campaign continues Prada’s commitment to innovation though the creative engagement of new technologies.

Attila, Verdi’s ninth opera, takes place in the mid-fifth century as the remnants of the western Roman Empire crumble before the barbarian invasions. The opera’s action is based on a German Romantic play by Friedrich Ludwig Zacharias Werner, called Attila, and involves attempts to spare Italy from the onslaught of Attila the Hun’s hordes.

Attila is one of ten Verdi operas that have not previously been performed at the Metropolitan. Its world premiere took place in 1846 at La Fenice Opera in Venice.

#2 – It’s OK to let it all hang out – the effect of Prada’s shrunken knits left shirts looking rather scruffy around the trouser waistband – creating a look that can only be described as a bit Boris Johnson.

#8 – Camel is the new black – Next autumn is set to be a brooding old affair but camel offers the perfect counterbalance. Prada – a label that drives trends – showed variations on this neutral theme.

#10 – Everybody can get a front-row seat now – several fashion houses including Prada streamed its catwalk shows live on the web, a trend likely to continue. Forget reading tweets, if you really care about what you wear, log on to YouTube and make up your own mind.

Full Top 10 List Here

Prada is classic. Since its inception, Prada has made the man look as elegant as possible – but every now and then, like the man- Prada deviates from the script adding the element of surprise and intrigue. This was the case during Milan Fashion Week when Prada premiered its latest collection.

This collection, ironically – showed more colors than Prada’s spring collection. Purple, yellow, and a vivid magenta took to the runway nestled in overcoats, blazers, suits, and cardigans to accentuate, while trying not to intimidate. Everyman doesn’t necessarily look good in every color. Still, Prada does a good job of bringing together their collection of color amidst their trademark gray, blue, and black. This year, khaki made a guest appearance that was just enough to tease the fashion senses without dulling them.

My favorite look for the collection:

One of the things that I liked the most about this collection was the appearance of brighter colors. The collection comes off as a fresh perspective. My favorite piece epitomizes the feel for the men’s element of the Prada show. A light-tan overcoat with buttons impeccably placed on the breast and torso of the coat along with black/blue slim slacks dominated the model who also wore a yellow/brown sweater underneath with a basic blue shirt. I will say that Prada did a horrid job of choosing the model, which looked absolutely sickly in the look. Just the same, the perspective was strong and well-stated.

- Source

Inspired by the promise and opportunities of the new decade, Prada are excited to announce they have agreed with Fudong that the art project will officially become the Spring/Summer 2010 menswear advertising campaign. The film will debut exclusively across digital platforms from early February. Prada are proud to be launching this innovative new campaign concept with Fudong, who is among the most interesting and influential Chinese artists working today.

Inspired by the Chinese adage that “the whole year’s work depends on a good start in spring,” this bold and beautiful film represents an exciting new direction for Prada’s visual communications at the start of this decade.

‘First Spring’
Whatever should happen — the beautiful, the fantastic, the dreamlike …
A few young men are in Prada menswear…
As if in Shanghai of the 1930s or 40s, As if in cafés, ballrooms and backrooms in the dark of night, in all the merry places…
Whatever should happen would happen….
In the streets, in the crowds, you meet Chinese of different classes, from different times; like people in utterly different worlds, but meeting in Shanghai dozens of years ago….
Whatever should happen would always happen …
In the sky over this city,
They still see they’re walking under the parasols …
Dangerous beauty… promising beauty …
Whatever should happen …
Everything in the spring depends on …
A good start in the spring …
~Yang Fudong

Patrizio Bertelli, chief executive officer of Prada Group, said: “For Prada, fashion, luxury and style go beyond producing an infinity of clothes and shoes, so the book wants to illustrate the various aspects through which Prada expresses itself.”

The book is published by Prada Progetto Arte and will be sold for 100 euros (approximately US$150) in Prada stores worldwide, in select bookstores and on prada.com.