The ultimate way to quietly flaunt your wealth is still the $995 white tank top from Prada

• Prada debuted its logo tank top during a Milan Fashion Week runway show in 2022.
• The basic $995 garment has become a staple among celebrities and influencers.

I can almost guarantee that you own a white tank top. You might even be wearing one now.

But was it designed by Prada?

That is the difference between a classic, always-in-style garment and a trendier, luxe version that's become the go-to status symbol of class and wealth in recent years.

First debuting in 2022, Prada's signature white top is a lot like every other tank on the market. It's casual, cute, and can be styled with any outfit. But the designer top costs hundreds of dollars more than any you might buy at Target or Amazon.

Still, there's a good chance you've been seeing the $995 piece everywhere.

Reinventing the tank top

Prada's Fall/Winter 2022 collection was full of elevated workwear looks in neutral colors.

The Italian fashion house debuted the line in Milan on February 24, 2022, with models showcasing its latest gauzy skirts, sharp blazers, and statement sweaters.

"The Fall/Winter 2022 collection by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons is a commemoration of life and living — of the occasion of the everyday, affording importance to each moment," the Prada website says.

But out of every piece on the runway, it was a simple white tank top embellished with a single piece of hardware — a plaque of Prada's signature triangle logo — that captured everyone's attention.

It was worn by models including Kaia Gerber and Hunter Schafer and was arguably the piece that most exemplified the mission of Prada's F/W 2022 collection: the beauty of the mundane.

"Pragmatic pieces are given new emphasis and significance, tailoring combined with the language of evening clothes," Prada's website says. "Combinations of the quotidian and precious disturb the aesthetic vernacular of each."

Prada began selling the garment online for $995 about six months after the show was held, Vogue reported.

A $995 piece of cotton

Some may question what makes Prada's version of this classic garment worth $995.

Like many other tank tops, the designer version has thick straps, a scooped neckline, and ribbed fabric in a women's fit. It's offered in 13 sizes and sold online and in Prada boutiques. There's also an unfitted men's version sold in sizes XS through XXXL.

All Prada tank tops are also made entirely of cotton, according to the brand's website.

So, yes, the top's only standout feature is its enamel plaque, which says Prada Milano 1913 — the year the brand was founded.

In the years since the top's debut, Prada has also created variations of the classic style.

There's a $750 cropped version, a $975 bodysuit, and a $2,250 tank embroidered with beads.

Still, it's the classic white version that remains loved by fashion fans.

Prada's tank top: the ultimate status symbol

You can't get more casual than a white tank top, so the style might not scream luxury when you first look at it.

But that's where high-end designers have changed the game.

By prominently adding their logos onto these simple pieces, brands like Prada, Loewe, and Miu Miu have elevated everyday tops into something more exclusive.

The style also perfectly aligns with the quiet-luxury trend that wealthy fashion fans can't get enough of. In a time when expensive yet subtle pieces are favored, what's a better status symbol than a white tank top from a beloved designer brand?

Of course, Prada seems to be especially popular.

New York Fashion Week attendees raved about Prada to Business Insider, the Lyst Index named it one of the hottest brands of last year, and a search for #prada on TikTok results in more than 874,000 videos.

That popularity is partially the result of Prada's wide reach across generations. As Harper's Bazaar Arabia reported in 2023, both millennials and Gen Z love the fashion house, and it's been applauded for its fresh yet nostalgic designs and sustainability efforts in recent years.

Celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Charli D'Amelio, and Ncuti Gatwa have also made the brand's simple garment a red-carpet staple, while influencers regularly bring the piece to Fashion Weeks across the world via street-style looks.

But even with a Prada logo stamped on the front, isn't a white tank top still just that? Yes — and no.

It's "the ultimate" version of the classic garment, according to fashion creator @dadouchic. As she described it in a past TikTok video, the tank is "uber chic."

"I mean, it's a basic cotton tank top. But it's Prada," she said.