Miu Miu’s Fall/Winter 2024 show kicked off with a slew of refined double-breasted coats, all with a modest string of pearls poking out from underneath and oversized gloves. Rendered in chocolate brown, slick black and navy with simple slacks in white and pool blue, it seemed the youthful exuberance of Miuccia Prada‘s 31-year-old brainchild was growing up this season. But this was an intentional move to emphasise Prada’s ideas, with demure tailored pieces quickly followed up by spritely styling as the show went on, like going back in time.
“A vocabulary of clothing, from childhood to adulthood” as explained in the shownotes.
Inspired by the span and scope of people’s lives, the collection was rife with nostalgic touchpoints.
In nods to childhood, we saw shrunken proportions, cropped sleeves and girlish Mary Janes flats enriched with vibrant colour blocking for a winsome allure. Then adolescence was felt (all too well, for some) in the angst-laden combat boots and a sense of rebellion in mixing and matching pyjamas with outerwear, the kinds of formal dresses and grandiose faux fur coats reminiscent of ‘dress ups’. With impeccable refinement, Prada somehow encapsulates the sense of invincibility that comes with this lifestage, and even compels us to look back with less cringe and more tenderness.
Progressing to adulthood, we grow into sophisticated tailoring, poised knee-length dresses, and structural pointed pumps. Channelling the liberating wisdom that comes in our later years, character brooches, fun textures, an amalgam of colours and flares of personal style come together to embody a deep understanding of oneself.
Suggested in the shownotes was the idea that Prada is not only across the ‘girlhood’ discourse going on right now but has her thoughts on the matter.
“As the collection reconsiders characteristic signifiers of life through the vocabulary of clothing, so too can our literal vocabulary be readdressed,” read the press release. “‘Girlishness’ is a word we can revalue, from a pejorative gendered noun, anchored to age, to a universal idiom expressive of the strength of rebellion, a spirit of freedom and individuality, one attribute of a richer whole.”
Most poignant within the Fall/Winter 2024 show was the reminder of how profoundly unifying fashion can be. Though we’ve all been on disparate journeys, these memories of clothing, not just in the pieces themselves but of their clever styling, can speak to something relatable to all of us.
“This is a shared language, one informed by the moment we all live within, a universal message nevertheless resonant with our unique experience.”
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.