“Prada Makes Me Feel Like Myself”: Miuccia Fan Girl Sarah Paulson Touches Down At Her First Milan Fashion Week

The other day, Sarah Paulson was so desperate for a shopping spree at Prada that she headed for the nearest boutique immediately upon touching down in Milan from Los Angeles. “Stopping at Prada before we got to the hotel was all I cared about,” the actress enthuses. “It was unfortunate for both my business manager and my bank account.”

It’s no surprise that Paulson was in such a Mrs P-induced frenzy: this is the first time she has been able to juggle her work schedule (on Sunday she walked the red carpet at the Emmys–where she was nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Mr. and Mrs. Smith–in an electric blue Prada dress) in order to attend Milan Fashion Week. “I feel very thrilled that my first experience here is with a house that I have had such a long association with,” she says. “I’ve worn Prada for the most important moments of my professional career, including when I won my Emmy and my Tony award.”

As we chat over the phone about things to do in Milan, the conversation naturally turns to food. But it’s clear Paulson isn’t going to be seeking out the fashion industry’s usual post-show haunts (sorry, Giacamo!). She’s arrived equipped with a personalized Google Doc of restaurant recommendations from The Bear’s culinary producer, Courtney Storer, with whom she worked on season two of the cult show. “I have actual professional recommendations for where to eat in this town!” she says. On said list? Niko Romito, and pizzeria Gino Sorbillo.

Photography Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs

Photography Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs

As she says, Paulson’s love affair with Prada goes back decades. “As a young girl, particularly in the 1990s when I was living in New York City, my aim always was to have something from Prada,” she says. “Nylon bags were my early purchases… I’d take whatever money I could get so I could carry my make-up in something that said Prada on it. Those pieces were indestructible and are still so chic to this day.” More recently, the actor frequently finds herself down vintage rabbit holes, scrolling eBay and The RealReal in search of a pair of old season platform sandals trailing with vines. “I would like to bring those back!” she declares. “Prada pieces aren’t based on trendiness… they’re so timeless and beautifully constructed”

Photography Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs

Photography Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs

It would be remiss of me not to mention the retina-searing neon green Prada dress that Paulson wore to the world premiere of Ocean’s 8 back in 2018. “Oh my God, that’s one of my favorite, favourite dresses ever,” she says. “Mrs. Prada had worn a version of it to the Met Ball that year, and my stylist Karla Welch and I thought it would be cool if I wore something similar to what she would wear herself.” The Miuccia fan girl continues: “When I put Mrs. Prada’s clothes on, I don’t see someone else’s vision or idea of me, I see myself through her lens. It sounds like such a cliché, but Prada really makes me feel [like] myself.”

Miuccia Prada at the 2018 Met Gala.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Sarah Paulson at the New York premiere for Ocean’s 8 in 2018.

Michael Stewart

As for the look she chose to attend her favorite brand’s spring 2025 show? “It’s very ladylike, very society lady, which is part of my personality, but not always where I live,” she says of her elegant A-line skirt, bumblebee-yellow jumper and checked tailored jacket with an open silk back. “It felt like the right thing to wear for my first trip here… I carried it on two planes from Los Angeles.”

Photography Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs

Photography Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs

Asked whether she intends to pass down her most covetable Prada pieces, she laughs: “I certainly can’t dress my dogs up in them! But I do have two nieces so they’ll be getting some very special items one day. But hands off the dresses I won my Emmy and Tony in! Nobody gets to wear those.”