At the Prada show in Milan on Thursday, the attendees sat waiting for one final guest to arrive before the show could commence. A phalanx of unsmiling, fridge-size guards watched over vacant seats in the front row.
Carey Mulligan and Sarah Pidgeon of “Love Story” were already in their seats. As were Caitlin Clark and the Olympian Eileen Gu. So, was the holdup because of Rihanna? Zendaya? Maybe a head of state?
Nope, just the Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. They were ushered in by handlers a minute or so before the lights went down, accompanied by Anna Wintour and Eva Chen, the director of fashion partnerships at Instagram.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s arrival, executed with secret service precision, suggested he had no interest in mingling with the masses — even the $5,000 handbag-holding masses at a fashion show. The couple did not, as most celebrities do, pose for photos from the front row.
Ms. Chan was dressed in a quintessential Prada outfit: a demure gray sweater, a floor-length navy skirt and brown loafers on platform sole. During the show, she occasionally pointed out outfits to her husband, who was sitting with his legs spread wide.
Mr. Zuckerberg was dressed more like your classic tech bro on picture day in a long-sleeve tan polo and cigar brown trousers. His gray hoodie days are now well behind him.
Mr. Zuckerberg has shown a more conspicuous interest in fashion of late. He drew British GQ’s attention when he wore a honking shearling coat and has made custom, Latin-phrased T-shirts with the designer Mike Amiri.
While Mr. Zuckerberg was not wearing Meta’s camera-enhanced Ray-Bans, many in attendance at the Prada show assumed his presence had something to do with his company’s grand smart glasses play. The company recently opened Meta Lab stores, where the artificial intelligence glasses are sold, in Hawaii, California, Nevada and New York.
That assumption was given some credence by Mr. Zuckerberg’s seat mate: Lorenzo Bertelli, Miuccia Prada’s son, a former rally car driver who is now the chief merchandising officer of his family’s company. In interviews, Mr. Bertelli has talked up the importance of emerging technologies, including A.I. That he sat with Meta’s chief executive reflected how fashion shows are now just one part of the business at a multinational luxury house like Prada.
During the show, Mr. Bertelli occasionally leaned over to chat with Mr. Zuckerberg. It was about a week ago that Mr. Zuckerberg had faced grilling at a landmark hearing on social media addiction. He appeared to receive a warmer reception at Prada.
When the show concluded, Ms. Chan and Mr. Zuckerberg did not join Mrs. Prada and her creative partner Raf Simons, backstage.
Jacob Gallagher is a Times reporter covering fashion and style.
The post Why Was Mark Zuckerberg Front Row at Prada? appeared first on New York Times.
