20 September 2024 |
Archival shoes, Atomic Age hats, and plenty of pieces that are sure to delight.
“Oh my god, that was incredible, I wanted everything.” “Did you see the shoes?! Yes, those espadrilles, they brought them back!” That’s merely a few snippets overheard as the crowd filed out of the Prada show. The mood and enthusiasm was high as everyone discussed their favorites and there was plenty to choose from. Titled Infinite Present it reflected what Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons do best – twist and reinvent the brand’s codes in a manner that feels new and exciting every time. Sporty meets elegant meets quirky meets angry get jumbled up into a mixture that feels like it could be for everyone and no one all at once and that’s precisely the appeal.
According to the show notes we exist in an era of extreme information, immersed in a constant stream of content where we’re given a narrow perspective of life through an algorithm. In reality, the world is a much more complicated and unpredictable place and so the collection is meant to be a discourse between the two. How that translates is a jumble of eras and styles, with a focus on individuality. The show opened with a delicate orange floral dress, a motif that is vaguely familiar as iterations of it have appeared in prior collections but the shape was entirely new. Worn with black-and-white Mary Jane flats, the clash was true to the styling we’ve come to expect from the brand and felt fresh and exciting. From there, other references were reinterpreted like the trompe l’oeil tweed jacket with a furry collar, this time worn over a futuristic mini or a slinky green polo layered under a gauzy dress.
To rattle off the highlights would do the collection a disservice, there is plenty to dive into and dissect, with multiple stories being told at once. In a nod to retrofuturism, the grommet skirts and Atomic Age hats were a dive into a decade that was seeing drastic jumps in technology, much like what we’re experiencing now. For those who prefer a darker, more grungier take, there was a dress covered in metal rings, with that same embellishment appearing on low slung skirts held up by garter-like attachments to the waist – expect those to be popular. As for the evening pieces? Sparkly dresses were layered under windbreakers, a clash of styles that see Simons referencing Mrs. Prada in his own idiosyncratic way.
As for the accessories, the gigantic bug eyed sunglasses are surely going to be an editorial favorite while the handbags offer plenty to choose from. But the real highlight? The archival shoes that made a reappearance. From the flat leather criss-cross sandals first seen in spring 1996 to striped heels from fall 2008 to platform espadrille oxfords from spring 2011 to the rubber dipped Mary Jane heels of fall 2012, it was a journey of the brand’s best. It’s also a testament to the power of Prada to defy trends – everything is forever current because nothing is too current.
