Prada serves up luxury fashion’s version of pasta pomodoro at Milan Fashion Week

MILAN (AP) — Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons reimagine jeans-inspired basics in leather and technical fabrics for the latest Prada collection unveiled Sunday during MilanFashion Week, saying they wanted menswear looks for people on the street, not just fashion insiders.

The new Prada uniform for next spring and summer: slim, cropped jackets and five-pocket trousers, pulled together with timeless blazers or leather blousons.

“Sometimes you just realize you need a good pasta pomodoro,” Simons said before the show, referring to the Italian mealtime staple.

While the collection was inspired by jeans, Prada acknowledged she had never worn a pair in her life, while Simons said he had only recently returned to the everyday classic after two decades of wearing wool trousers year-round.

So against all odds, five-pocket trousers paired with flat-pocket jackets became the new Prada uniform, both slim and cropped.

Most looks were realized in luxurious, buttery leather in monochromes of antique white, gray, burgundy or turquoise that hit the runway to rock guitar riffs. A subset appeared in nearly transparent white technical fabric more suited to Europe’s recent heatwave. Only a handful of closing looks were fashioned from actual denim.

A smattering of cropped shirts and knitwear vests featured geometric patterns that were pulled together with clashing silk scarves tied around the midriff. The only bags were colorful pouches worn at the waist, sometimes attached to thick belts. A pointy shoe with multiple Velcro straps finished the looks.

Prada said the goal was a collection of pieces that were universal and to avoid “useless design,” which she added was “a lot of what’s around” on other runways.

Simons said the designers wanted to reconnect fashion with the way people actually dress, noting that some of fashion’s strongest ideas historically came “from the street” rather than being dictated by luxury brands and runways.

“It’s a clear silhouette, vertical, simple, sharp, proud. A lot of white, peaceful, hopeful, and cleansing,” Simons said. “We think this collection is breaking the perception of what is perceived as typical luxury in high fashion.”

In the spirit of simplicity, the collection was presented in a bare showroom with transparent bench seating.

Everyone had a front-row view, with the VIP section hosting NBA superstar Anthony Edwards, South African-Australian singer and actor Troye Sivan, K-pop boy group ENHYPEN and British actor Louis Partridge.

Crowds of excited fans withstood the early summer heatwave to greet their favorite celebrities.

A model wears a creation from Prada's Spring/Summer 2027 men's collection presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A model wears a creation from Prada's Spring/Summer 2027 men's collection presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A model wears a creation from Prada's Spring/Summer 2027 men's collection presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A model wears a creation from Prada's Spring/Summer 2027 men's collection presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A model wears a creation from Prada's Spring/Summer 2027 men's collection presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams will play singles at Wimbledon after accepting a wild card invitation, the All England Club announced Sunday.

The move comes after the 44-year-old Williams recently returned to competition in doubles after nearly four years away from professional tennis.

And it means that Williams will play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon after already accepting a wild card for the doubles competition with older sister Venus.

“This is not a drill,” Wimbledon said on its social media accounts.

Serena’s last singles match was a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, she said she didn’t want to use the word “retiring” and instead declared that she was “evolving” away from tennis.

Serena has won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, including seven at Wimbledon. She’s also won 14 Grand Slams in doubles, all with Venus, and six of them at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon starts in eight days.

Serena won a doubles match with partner Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club last week but then the pair had to withdraw after Mboko injured her knee in a singles match.

In another doubles match at the Berlin Open on Tuesday, Serena and partner Karolina Muchova were beaten by Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Serena Williams of the U.S. tosses the ball in the air to serve as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams of the United States, hits a return as she and playing partner Victoria Mboko of Canada play against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during their first round doubles match at the Queen's Club tennis championships in London, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

FILE -Serena Williams, left, and Venus Williams of the U.S hold their trophies after winning the women's doubles final against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazahkstan and Timea Babos of Hungary on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File)

Serena Williams of the U.S. returns the ball as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams of the U.S. tosses the ball in the air to serve as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)