It was short (hemline-wise), sweet, and unencumbered with any responsibility for changing the direction of fashion. And that's just the way Miu Miu, Prada's secondary line, ought to stand in relation to its older, more intellectual sister collection. For spring, the younger sibling has gone crazy over early seventies geometric prints—either the brown and beige patterns typical of English charity-shop coffee sets, or Marimekko-style florals in purple, blue, and red.
What Miu Miu might lack in its limited message—it was all fresh faces, orange lipstick, and girlish cheerfulness—it makes up for in breadth of stock. Waffle knits turned up as Empire-line sweater dresses, while checked shirts became tiny dresses, tied under the bust with knitted belts. The shoes—long, low Mary Janes or high stalking pumps, in orange and emerald—chimed perfectly with the bright, colorful patents that have been turning up as flashes of sixties moderne all over Milan.
As simple and carefree as all this may seem, Miuccia Prada is also being careful to pass her best-selling ideas on to Miu Miu for another season's enjoyment. Her jewelry-as-embellishment idea is now manifest, at a more accessible price, in the encrusted beaded necklines on dresses and in the panels applied to shantung jackets. All proof that Ms. Prada is a natural fashion democrat.
