Miu Miu: Subverting too-obvious beauty

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Oct 2, 2018

It's always well worthwhile to attend a Miu Miu show on the final day of Paris Fashion Week, where Miuccia Prada's intense vision provides a striking counterpoint to all the corporate French brands one can witness on the calendar.

Staged with skill underneath huge Styrofoam versions of the brand's logo, this was one of designer Miuccia Prada's more subversive collections, taking classical elements like elegance, glamor and tailoring, and then chopped up many garments to give them a rougher, more worldly, finish.
 
The quality was practically couture-level, with devilishly well cut dresses; astutely draped shirt dresses finished with impressive fabric flowers; and nigh perfect taffeta sheaths, again complimented with bold blossoms of material.

For busy young career ladies, Miuccia combined wide A-line coats, spy coats and double-breasted chauffeur's jackets – all in sleek leathers, but paired with bold hyper-color iris prints skirts and blouses, all cut away at odd angles. The results were unexpected, arty and very chic.
 
“It was a little like that program, what is the name? Project Runway. Where they put a stop watch on each designer at which point they cannot change anymore. Well, we had the scissors out last night. My staff kept saying, 'can we leave just one perfect, not all destroyed.' And I know the buyers tomorrow will start asking to change the proportions. But, I am against the cliché of obvious beauty,” laughed Signora Prada, gesticulating as if she had a pair of large shears in her hands.

And just when you forgot the huge return of denim on many catwalks, except for Paris that is, Miuccia wowed with a series of denim handkerchief-hemmed skirts and cocktails; completed with satin velvet platform boots with beveled unvarnished heels.
 
“Everything stone-washed; the denim, the taffeta and even the gazar,” said Miuccia with twinkling eyes, adding that she cannot physically accept obvious beauty.
 
After the show, she was surrounded by a dozen 'It' gals and movie stars, Juliette Lewis, Dree Hemingway, Poppy Delevinge and Elodie Bouchez among others. But as is her preference, Miuccia preferred to talk about the collection than pose for paparazzi.
 
Hard to remember a soundtrack that better complemented a collection, in this case an assemblage of Prince's new album. Which is a release of private recordings by Prince in his home studio entitled Prince & a Microphone, including some of his most famous tracks.
 
Like the great musician, Miuccia has no intention of going quietly into that dark night.
 
“I'm angry for another reason. Everyone talks about the future and a revolution but the truth is everything is going backwards. And not just politics but in art and cinema too,” she harrumphed.