With me, Prada gets the benefit of the doubt. The brand and its designer, Miuccia Prada, have earned it – with every collection, Prada is saying something, questioning something, trying to force us to think a little bit harder about our assumptions on fashion, beauty and womanhood. I want to believe that the Prada Fall 2013 Runway Handbags are trying to send me some kind of message that I’m just not getting, but instead, I think these might be a rare true dud for Prada.
That was my instinct back when most of these bags debuted on the Fall 2013 runway in Milan, and now that they’re available for pre-order at Saks, my gut reaction hasn’t changed. These smaller versions of the runway weekender-bowler bags aren’t quite as awkwardly a-proportional as their catwalk cohorts, but the ultra-long handles culminated in too-low handle attachements still feel like a not-quite-true-to-life artist’s rendering of what a bowler bag would look like. Maybe that’s the message, though. If it is, I’m not sure I’m interested in it. If you are, check out the most important pieces from the collection after the jump or shop the full selection via Saks.