Even though her Miu Miu collection depicted a sartorial reflection spanning a lifetime, Miuccia Prada expressed that she is not feeling nostalgic, as she mentioned to a journalist after her show this Tuesday in Paris. At 74, she has witnessed a multitude of experiences in life and in fashion, affording her the luxury of interpreting the archetypes of age and dress through memory and personal experience, rather than study.
Mrs. Prada’s Fall 2024 collection introduces a perspective where age and dress are paralleled, and garments are assigned a moment ranging from childhood to maturity. Infancy is expressed through deliberately reduced proportions, an acid color palette, or––if you wish to read between the lines––the oversized fit of gloves in the model’s delicate hands. There’s a certain revelry in the styling, and the choice of textiles like denim evokes memories of the adolescent years. This essence is also present in looks that blend fleece jackets under fur-lined raincoats with neon A-line skirts printed with flower petals.
Past collections had established a uniform for a Miu Miu girl who, for a moment, seemed stuck in her teenage years, embracing with ownership the allure of a short hem. FW24 proposes not only longer hems but also a return to an age, size, and gender-inclusive version of Miu Miu. It is no longer just a representation of a girl; it embodies a persona and an attitude in service to its wearer. Mrs. Prada brought this vision to life by incorporating universal signs related to age into the lineup. To interpret the elder years, she presented opulent shearling coats that mimicked fur, clean-cut leather handbags, brooches, and little black dresses balancing between modest and audacious. These pieces distinctly responded to a stereotype commonly associated with the Milanese ‘sciura,’ a term used to describe Mrs. Prada herself.
On the runway, actress Kristin Scott Thomas (63) embraced power dressing in a sturdy down coat. Actress Angela Molina (68), with her hair down, not only graced the runway with an ear-to-ear smile but also adorned a bejeweled suede jacket with matching sequined gloves. Qin Huilan (70), a Prada and Miu Miu collector who flew from China to walk the show, led a troop of tailored looks in a sober woolen coat adorned with stones. Miuccia Prada putting herself on the cover of Vogue at 74 seemed to signify the start of a movement, as these women on the runway, more than showcasing garments, carried a spirit of transcendence.
It’s inevitable to notice a biographical element in this collection. The Italian essence permeates every corner, from fine tailoring to fur-looking coats. If there’s one consistent trait in Miuccia Prada’s collections, it’s her penchant for playing with self-referential elements. Miu Miu has evolved into a version that accommodates everybody, but, most importantly, it appears to satisfy Mrs. Prada’s curiosity and herself.
