Prada offers 'see now, buy now' bags straight off the Milan catwalk

MILAN: Italy's Prada blended military, nautical and 1940s looks for women next fall at Milan Fashion Week and joined in on the "see now, buy now" retail model by offering two new styles of bag at selected outlets from Friday.

Miuccia Prada, regarded as a trailblazer by fashionistas, mixed prints with luxurious fabrics to create glamorous, colorful, layered outfits, for her collection.

The designer, 66, put fur on sleeves and linings of check or leather jackets and cloaks, embroidery on slinky velvet dresses and played with an array of prints - cactus plants, flowers and fruit - on tops, skirts and dresses.

Brocade also featured heavily in the collection - namely in gold on jackets and skirts.

With customers living in different climates, several fashion houses have announced they want to bridge the usual six-month gap between catwalk presentation and retail availability, by offering runway items in shops or online sooner.

Prada reported nearly flat net revenue of 3.55 billion euros in the year to Jan. 31 last week, with earnings hit in recent quarters by costly shop investments and slower demand for luxury goods, notably from major market China.