When the actor Kyle MacLachlan opened the Prada men’s wear show in Milan on Sunday, many were surprised and delighted to see Special Agent Dale Cooper strut the runway. But others wondered if Mr. MacLachlan was in fact making a return to fashion.
In 1992, he was part of a campaign for Barneys New York, along with the former supermodel Linda Evangelista, shot by Steven Meisel. He and Ms. Evangelista (who were a couple in real life) also did a shoot for DKNY, and Mr. MacLachlan was frequently featured in fashion magazines, including GQ and Esquire.
Mr. MacLachlan, 62, is fairly new to the runway, however; the only other time he walked one was for the annual Dressed to Kilt charity show in 2010. “My basic thought was just don’t trip and try not to fall down,” he said in a phone interview. “You realize in that moment, it’s really not about me. It’s about serving the designer.”
The invitation from Prada, now designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, came a few months back, taking Mr. MacLachlan by surprise, but it was one he couldn’t turn down.
“I have great respect for the brand of Prada and was curious to see what Raf had contributed,” he said. “You’re around creative, like-minded people, and it just kind of charges your batteries.”
Having made it through the show without falling, Mr. MacLachlan considered the moment a success. “During the rehearsal the first day, I was walking, and Raf came up and said, ‘a little faster,’” he said. “That was the only direction I got, and I was like: ‘OK, walk with purpose. Get to the end. Try to stay in a straight line.’”
For the “Twin Peaks” and “Blue Velvet” star, modeling has some overlaps with acting. “I enjoy working with a photographer, creating an image or a series of images,” Mr. MacLachlan said. “It’s not so different than creating a character for film or television.” He added that he appreciates “creating a mood, or a moment, or a feeling, just in an image.”
Mr. MacLachlan met some of the younger actors in the show for the first time, including Asa Butterfield and Louis Partridge. “You come into a different place in a different state, and you’re wearing different clothing, and you share these moments particularly with the other actors that were around,” he said.
Though he described his own style as keeping “things pretty simple,” “classic” or “understated,” he was fond of what he wore on the runway. “It was fun, it was whimsical,” he said. “I had on a beautiful long cashmere jacket.” The light blue gloves he wore had a “sort of astronaut feel.”
Mr. MacLachlan said it may be his first and last time on the high-fashion runway. “Raf is pretty special, and we’ve known each other for a while, and we have a real mutual respect for each other,” he said. “For the moment, my cup is full.”
