Well, we got the message about knee-length skirts from Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons at the Prada show. And truly, in real time there have been people breaking out their own to wear around shows in Paris. That’s influence. Simple fashion messages are au courant—and nothing wrong with that.
So it was not much of a surprise when skirts of the knee-length, checked, box-pleated sort opened the Miu Miu show too. There were four like that, variously with hunting check-type blazers or sporty cropped tops, until we hit Jamie Bell, and things began to change.
“It was the idea of being in the moment, in this time,” Prada said afterwards. “What I was mainly interested in is working for people now.” Jeans and tiny running shorts, some with ’60s-print blouses, started passing by at speed. White drawstrings, tied in bows, as if from retro shorts or sweatpants, protruded from everybody’s waistlines. “If was [about] seeing everybody really dressing in sportswear,” said Prada. “And then I [wanted to] lift up the sportswear to a different elegance, to bring elegance to the sport.”
The thing about Miu Miu shows is how much fun and propulsive energy they have. There’s something about the runway atmosphere that attracts serious, popularly beloved actors to want to be involved. In spring it was Sandra Hüller; on this occasion there were “oohs” and “ahs” from the audience when after Jamie Bell, Olivia Colman walked by, wearing a black leather skirt suit, and a smile.
The casting creates a big club atmosphere which generates its own cumulative fascination: looking at so many new faces, with their rough, bad ’70s hairdos and bug-eyed wraparound shades—and of course, the actor-spotting. Later on it was Emma Corrin, who walked by in a section which started to layer sparkly bras under sporty bombers over slews of ’60s geometric prints.
Chunky crystal embellishment is a big part of the Miu Miu brand. It appeared encrusted in panels on more A-line skirts, and the bodices of babydoll mini dresses. And so on. We got all of the Miu Miu messages without breaking our brains to understand the meaning of it, beyond ‘let’s have fun with throwing things together.’ Well noted: the mixing in of Miu Miu’s collab with New Balance trainers and upcyled Wrangler jeans, and how sneaker laces got reappropriated all over the place as belts and cross-lacing over jeans flies. “It’s casual, everyday,” Prada shrugged. “I don’t know what to call it. I thought maybe we should have just normal elements.”
1 / 10
Look 3
2 / 10
Look 12
3 / 10
Look 20
4 / 10
Look 21
5 / 10
Look 26
6 / 10
Look 34
7 / 10
Look 62
8 / 10
Look 71
9 / 10
