prada party

when we found out that the prada spring/summer 2006 collection would be presented at the jumbo (yes, that floating tourist trap in hong kong; pero in fairness, masarap ang pagkain doon ha), we had to ask: why there?? miuccia's current collection had nothing to do with chinoiserie. well, the choice of venue was all about concept. and what a concept! the three-tiered affair started as soon as you arrived at the pier. faux paparazzi behind velvet ropes took our picture as we stepped onto the red carpet and registered at the reception table. trays of champagne greeted us before we boarded the little ferry, which took us to the jumbo. as we approached it, we began to appreciate the concept.
(sorry, medyo malabo yung pic, but we were moving. but you'd recognize that logo anywhere!)
the jumbo has several levels, and we climbed the steps to the main restaurant, but not before we were greeted by this wall:
and more trays of champagne! the restaurant was devoid of its round tables and chairs, which were replaced by theater-style seating and a length of space in between for the "runway."
(parang we've seen this before... oh yeah, it was for the launch of the jumbo in manila nearly a year ago, where they built a catwalk, had theater-style seating and had a fashion show.)
anyway, we loved the collection. (well, truth to tell, what prada collection didn't we love?) some of the important looks: loose silhouette, neutral shades, puffy sleeves, big bags, platform shoes, sagging stockings and leggings, visors, crafty touches, they were all there...



after the show, all the guests were escorted to the top deck, part of which is roofed, partly open, for the after-party. and party all night we did!
they set up couches and low tables all over the place. there were several full bars, which never ran out of booze all night. there were food stations + waiters with pass-around trays of hors d'oeuvres + tables stacked with fresh oysters and shrimp cocktail. and in the ultimate in branding, the rest rooms had bowls of little soaps wrapped in glossy hot pink paper with the prada label. the bars had fish bowls filled with hot pink and black matchbooks for all the smokers in the house (thank god, smoking is still allowed in hong kong!). drinks were served on hot pink and black disposable coasters. and if you needed to wipe the champagne drip from the corner of your perfectly lined and glossed lips, just reach for a prada paper napkin. classy!