Prada AW15

Initial reaction:

Uniformity as modernity, and an ode to Prada’s legendary ways with nylon, executed almost entirely in black. But if we’re being honest, it’s never very easy to sum up a Prada collection in a neat and tidy little sentence. “What did you think of it?” we ask each other as we leave, and while you know that you liked it (a lot), it’s a little more difficult to give a summary of its essence or meaning. As Miuccia Prada so perfectly noted after the show: “The thinking is always abstract.” Word.  

The invitation was a black nylon envelope, sliding open to reveal another piece of folded black nylon with your seat on it. From the opening look, the synthetic fabric dominated a collection of Prada-centric, sleek nineties tailoring which explored a slender silhouette throughout. The black fabric was only briefly interrupted by steely greys, midnight blue and camel – and a solitary red and blue check coat that seemed like an insider-y joke.

“No one wanted to put it in the show but I said I like to do some mistakes,” Prada said with a little laugh, likening it to another kind of uniform in what was ultimately a slick collection flirting with the idea of uniformity – not only via same-y silhouettes and fabrics, but also via the kilt, a symbol of tradition, school uniforms and punk. Did Prada slyly want us to rebel against her streamlined message? Who knows. “I wanted to make it elegant and modern. What does it mean? I don’t know,” she said. 

(Hard)core Prada:

Why all black? According to Prada, it was just what they were left with at the end of their edits although it’s highly unlikely that was the reason. Rather, it seemed like a continuation of what she talked about last season, namely that to her, “conservative looks more new”. This was a play on core Prada, from the nylon backpacks that helped build an empire to grosgrain ribbons (quite sexy and serious in this context) and the classic Prada trainer, which appeared in exaggerated special needs shoe form. Despite these ugly-chic staples, the collection felt decidedly less weird than we’ve come to expect from Prada – but maybe that was the point? There is, after all, something uncanny about toying with normality, if doing so disturbs people’s expectations of the unconventional.

Transcending gender:

Building on her newfound love of mixing in a few women’s looks in the menswear show, Prada upped the female ratio for AW15, explaining in the show notes (an unexpected new touch) that this was an analysis of the relationship between men and women. “So far, it’s only for the men’s shows," she said of showing men's and women's alongside each other. "Because when you do women you’re obliged to have more fun, and do more and more and more, and you are never able to do what sometimes I really care [about the] most."  

It was by no means a unisex affair or the kind of play on gender codes that we see in London among menswear designers using pink lace, crop tops or high heels on boys. Here, the boys wore suits and the girls wore pleated knee-length dresses, and only a couple of boys wore shirtdresses belted tightly at the waist with tailored trousers and a formal coat. Backstage, Prada noted that when she thinks about men she thinks about women. Perhaps this was simply what she wanted us to take away from this: that men and women have always co-existed and should always be regarded as equal. Here, they shared fabrics and colours and, to an extent, cuts, in a collection that simultaneously celebrated their differences. 

And because it all played out in an industrial, strange setting of fake marble chambers linked by metal tunnels covered in low wire-mesh ceilings that – along with the models’ retro-futuristic nerd glasses – gave off a sci-fi vibe, it felt like a kind of alternative society of equals. 

The soundtracks to Prada AW15: