Miu Miu: Olympic gold medal winners get Italian makeover

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Oct 6, 2020

Miuccia Prada didn’t stage any life shows this season in either Milan or Paris, though she did unveil two very carefully crafted videos, especially in the case of that of Miu Miu.

 
After showing Prada, and the debut with her new collaborator Raf Simons, on Thursday, Sept. 23, Miuccia unveiled Miu Miu on Tuesday Oct. 6, the last day of the nine-day Paris Fashion Week.  Both collections were shown online and also in several cities simultaneously to select groups of senior fashionistas at chic lunches.
 
In Paris, Miuccia invited a tight selection of French editors and even the odd influencer to dine in the new must-visit restaurant, Mun, the rooftop eatery of Galeries Lafayettes' superstore on the Champs Elysées.

Serving sea bream carpaccio; baby spinach with ponzu; tom yam-style cod or very respectable Chablis to guests enjoying uninterrupted views of the Eiffel Tower will, we are sure, in no way influence the reviews of this show.  Mind you, the Prada show was also in a restaurant offering views of the Eiffel Tower, Girafe at Place du Trocadero, so there was fine dining at both online displays in France.
 
It goes without saying, though no one quite mentioned it out loud at Mun, that the central thought pre-show was, 'would Miuccia have a better collection working alone, or with Raf?'
 
On the basis of this one season, it is definitely the former. For this spring summer 2021 collection was an unquestioned triumph, twice as heartily applauded by the audience as that at Prada.

 
This was sexy, sporty athletic chic at its best at Miu Miu. Track pants; taut blousons; mini skirts; sleek shorts and leotards were the heart of the collection.  East German Olympic gold medal winners given a glam Italian makeover. All finished with great gusto by faux diamante trim; crystal collars and dazzling bugle beads. Lots of punchy graphics – all the way through to the great virtual set. The latest Miu Miu club, a naïve futurist setting with pink sound baffle floors, and a giant screen inside which were a score of cool Miu Miu fans - Brigitte Lacombe, Malgorzata Szumowska, Erin O’Connor, Karen Elsen and Susie Lau.
 
Tellingly, Miuccia Prada – known for taking a short bow at most every show for the past 25 years – enjoyed a long virtual ovation. Dressed in a pink pantsuit; clearly enjoying her set and sensing her success.
 
All her models marching on mules, wedges and heeled sneakers finished with crystal mesh straps done in canary yellow, bitter orange and Negroni red, and with contrast laces. In a word, a great virtual display of rather thrilling clothes that will be highly influential. 
 
Above all, where the Raf Prada gal looked faintly asexual – the Miu Miu gal looked hot, body conscious and twice as self-assured. As if she had just exited a downtown gym and was on the way to meet a dashing lover. That’s what we call a major win for Signora Miuccia Prada.