Closing Paris fashion week in suitably grand style, Miuccia Prada presented her Miu Miu show at a private mansion at 34 Avenue Foch that dates to 1854 and is decorated in Louis XVI style. But it wasn't the nineteenth or eighteenth century she had on her mind when she began thinking about spring. Rather, she was considering Russian constructivism, as well as the elegance of an elongated line.
That meant duchesse satin shirts and tunics color blocked in shades of navy, black, and wine, worn with high-waisted tapering pants. Dresses with touches of Africa (tribal prints) and Japan (origami-like folds of shiny fabric decorating the shoulder or hip) fell below the knee. But unlike the body-limning sheaths at Prada, with which this collection seemed to share a spirit, these—while narrow—were A-line. Shorter dresses, some in ribbed knits, came with drop waists pleated to mid-thigh.
The motif that held these all together was a tiny rounded collar. And there was more action at the neckline in the form of halter straps from which triangular and circular shapes were suspended to create graphic tops. What Prada offered with this sharp, 30-piece collection was a rebuke to the baby-doll dresses that have dominated the runways this season, and for that, praise is in order. It won't be a surprise when her high waists and slim shapes start appearing in the collections of her designer admirers.
