Topstitched jackets, pointed lapels, ragged edges and lashings of denim, suede and leather. Prada S/S15 is perhaps what Prada might have looked like in the early 70s had Miuccia taken over the family business slightly earlier (she took reign in 1977, with ready to wear launching a decade later). Amidst the mustard hues, brocade, nylon socks and Mary Janes, there was Prada’s unique sense of odd sexiness, found in the cut of a pencil skirt, or the preppy wink of a sweater vest.
The show itself was set around a mysterious mound of lilac sand (the hue of the catwalk this season it would seem, see also Marc Jacobs), designed by seasoned set-makers AMO. Stand-out show pieces included patchwork printed dresses, regency necklines worn with high polo-necks, flounced leather skirts and brocade panelling, with contrasting fabrics fraying at the edges. It had a sense of Make Do and Mend, capturing the handmade aesthetic of a bygone era, with the occasional flicker of bejewelled embellishment. Then there were the harlequin boots, printed socks and a repeated ink motif towards the end. Here Clym Evernden reimagines the Prada show using the stylised invite designed by David James Associates.
