March 9, 2021 |
It’s often the most beautiful clothes in life are never all that practical. For this season’s Miu Miu show, Mrs Prada aimed to find a happy medium. “Practicality means strength, but that strength can be combined with dreams,” she said. “The two do not have to be mutually exclusive.” Her high-altitude, AW21 catwalk took place in the Dolomites Alps, at an imagined Miu Miu Mountain Club, where models trudged through snow in cartoonish, faux-fur yeti boots.
While some wore the sort of garb you’d expect from a winter retreat – Fair Isle knits, slightly swollen ski suits – the collection lavished in sublime contradictions, in which Mrs Prada does so well. Outerwear came informed by lingerie (who would’ve thought we’d see woolly scarves and knickers on the slopes?), yet simultaneously, the overall feel was protective. Whether it was oven glove-style mittens made of teddy-bear fuzziness, padded leotards, crocheted balaclavas-cum-facemasks, or slip dresses with spikey spaghetti straps – this Chalet Girl uniform was anything but demure.
Marching as a unit, the group eventually reached a bonfire, where they appeared to take part in some sort of ritual. It felt less horror, more triumphant; like treacherous conditions were braved to reach a brighter horizon ahead. Their clothes served as armour for concering a better tomorrow.
Photography by Johnny Dufort.
