Miu Miu is good at bringing the “It Girls” not just to the front row of its shows but to the runway. Today at Paris Fashion Week, the former included Sydney Sweeney, Nara Smith, Alix Earle and Renée Rapp. (And at least one “It Boy”: A$AP Rocky.)
At the Palais Iéna, the walls were covered in a yellow moiré fabric designed specifically for the show, and women wearing the brand’s signature owl glasses and cropped polo shirts sat in the audience with rapt attention.
The lineup, which included Gigi Hadid, Lou Doillon, Raffey Cassidy, Laura Harrier and Sarah Paulson, featured structured coats and silky, lingerie-inspired slip dresses. Models wore cloche hats, colorful knee-high socks and carried high-top clutches in the style of Hitchcock heroines.
Embellishments were present throughout, from demure cardigans embellished with brooches to jewel-encrusted socks. “There is a sense of tension, anxiety, and fear,” Miuccia Prada said in her show notes. Rather than retreating to safe, minimalist styles, as fashion often does during tough times, she took familiar, everyday pieces and found a way to make them more elevated and elegant.
Mrs. Prada defined the collection in her show notes as “a reflection and interpretation of what it means to be feminine through clothes,” a concept that was also fully reflected in Prada’s collection at Milan Fashion Week.
Retro femininity was paired with tailored menswear, as if it was a continuation of the youthful energy of that show. She even injected curvaceous silhouettes into the more masculine pieces. As always, she deftly balanced the difference between nerdy and cool-girl with off-the-shoulder sweaters, demure plaid skirts, and perfectly off-color palettes.
Mrs. Prada always makes us see everything in a new light: Over the past few years, she has transformed everything from boat shoes to boxer shorts into surprising must-haves. In her hands, retro staples like bullet bras and librarian glasses become instant streetwear hits. Just ask her oft-photographed followers who crisscross the entrance.