In September of 2007, I had just begun my senior year of high school. In a couple of months, I would receive my acceptance letter into college, and it was smooth sailing from there. At the time, I had everything from my fingers down to my toes crossed that I would be accepted into the Fashion Institute of Technology. My dream would eventually come true, but when Miuccia Prada debuted her groundbreaking collection for Spring 2008, I hadn’t yet heard that I was accepted to FIT. I was already immersed in the fashion world, so enamored by the possibility of it all that I wanted to soak up every part of it. After school, I would sit at the family computer and scroll through the reviews and photos of every collection, and I remember being completely in awe of Prada that year.
I didn’t own a single designer bag at that time, and while the allure and pull I felt at the time is hard to come by these days, I distinctly recall seeing a leather multi-color bag in purple, orange, and teal shades in that Prada collection. The bag was presented alongside a stunning, ethereal collection of pieces, and the Prada Fairy Bag, stole the spotlight that year. But the Prada Trembled Blossoms Bag was a standout that year as well. There was even an original, animated short film that was released alongside the collection, titled “Trembled Blossoms”. I don’t remember seeing the film at the time of its release; rather, I discovered it when researching the bag, which I vividly remember, for this feature.
Viewing it for the first time, I felt transported into the whimsical world of Prada. At the end of the film, the animated character happens upon a colorful, magical fish that transforms itself into the very Prada Trembled Blossoms Bag I remember. It’s magical moments like this when I’m reminded why I first fell in love with handbags. The Prada Trembled Blossoms Bag (not to be overshadowed by the Prada Fairy bag) was an integral part of the brand’s collection that year, popping up in a wide variety of color options. From shades of violet, teal, and orange to a mix of purples and fuchsias to metallic gold and black version, this bag wowed me on the runway.
Mrs. Prada spoke to Vogue Runway about the collection stating that it was “about trying to find a new creativity”, and that sentiment, which was apparent then and is ever-apparent now, in all that Prada does. Ironically, the colors presented in that original Prada Trembled Blossoms Bag remind me of the deep purple and peacock blue of fall 2021’s Prada Signaux bag, and suddently I want this bag all over again, though it appears not to be very readily available on the reasale market.
