Candy Colored Retro Futurism in Prada Fall 2015- A Collection I Will Never Forget

Am I aware that it’s 2019? Yes, painfully so. Trust me when I say that writing about a collection from four years ago was not on my agenda tonight. I was preparing to do a write-up on the Prada Resort 2020 collection when memories of the Prada Fall 2015 collection came crashing to the surface of my mind, causing me to seek it out again and relive the joy of discovering this gem.

When I saw the debut of this collection, I was in awe of how fresh and innovative it felt. The smooth, plushness of the jersey knits; the the blown-up print that resembles chromosomes; the sweet, yet cold pastels that defied the normally-morose color code of winter; the cheeky bits of fur; the classic tweed; those sneakers that looked like leather socks; those gloves that extended up into the sleeves of the dresses. Every detail just built on the next to create a look that I had never seen before. Even now, looking back on it, I’m amazed and delighted anew by what this collection accomplished.

Playful in its concept and execution, this poppy collection dared to ask the question of whether or not artificial beauty (created through genetic modification and surgeries) is less authentic than natural beauty by combining natural elements like ostrich with less-than-natural elements, like the blown-up, science-y print comprised of an image of genetically-modified ostrich.

But the innovative clashing of concepts didn’t stop with natural vs. artificial- The modern materials, acid-toned colors, and lab-like atmosphere also abutted the classic and preppy, ’60s silhouettes and timeless tweed, creating a retro-futurism vibe that I can’t get enough of. All of the long-limbed girls on this runway could have been alien replicas of humans, or a robotic army of perfect women from some dystopian future- the narrative possibilities of this collection were nearly endless, which is why it has managed to stick with me through the years.

I remember carefully pulling the ads for the collection out of my well-worn copies of Vogue and hanging them on my dorm room wall so that I could stare at them when I was trying to sleep, or procrastinating on my homework. Sometimes I think it’s strange how our minds choose what to hold onto and what to cast out, as time renders things useless or no longer relevant, but I’m glad my neurons decided to keep this collection nestled inside me, and something tells me that this collection will always be one of my all-time favorites.

Check out some of the best looks from the collection below:

Cover photo shot by Steven Meisel/Prada. All other photos by Monica Feudi / FeudiGuaineri.com via Vogue.com.