Miu Miu Infuses Sophistication Into Sports And Vice Versa For Spring/Summer 2021
Miuccia Prada has spent decades musing over the concept of a uniform — indeed, uniform outfitters were once her preferred shopping destination, and she described her very first collection in 1988 as “uniforms for the slightly disenfranchised” — but amidst the turbulence of the past few months, it seems the idea is once again occupying the forefront of Mrs Prada’s mind. After proposing her (and Raf Simons’) take on pared-back essentials during the recent Prada show, yesterday the visionary designer put forth a different perspective on the uniform via Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection, this time with style-forward sportswear suited to the sophisticate.
Here’s what you need to know about the show:
The Space
Setting the tone for the event, Rem Koolhaas’ AMO built a space-age sports stadium, complete with giant spectator screens lining the monochrome rubber walls, graphic court markings on the elliptical surface and shockingly pink acoustic foam accents.
The Front Row
Livestreamed from Milan, Miu Miu’s pandemic-appropriate presentation was joined virtually by a star-studded audience, each projected onto one of the digital screens along the walls, including Dakota and Elle Fanning, Yoona, Chloë Sevigny, Sadie Sink, Yang Chaoyue, Kiki Layne, Suki Waterhouse and Whitney Peak. What’s better than sitting on the frow? Well, walking in the show. Which is exactly what Lila Grace Moss (the 18-year-old daughter of Kate) did, making her runway debut by opening and closing the collection.
The Style
Nimbly navigating the polarities of athletic apparel and evening wear, youthful ebullience and bon-ton elegance, pragmatism and preciousness, the Spring/Summer 2021 lineup juxtaposed zip-up velour jackets, low-slung trackpants, technical knits, striped polo shirts, plaid skirts and micro shorts with diaphanous bejewelled dresses, halterneck shell tops, bow-adorned midi skirts, ruffled chiffon blouses and sharp blazers in an optimistic palette brightened with red, yellow, orange, turquoise and more.
On the accessories front, kitten-heeled sneakers and soccer boots mingled with embellished, square-toed sandals, while supersized, sometimes asymmetrical earrings brought to mind the term “shoulder dusters”, and the Miu Belle bag in matelassé nappa appeared in a rainbow of sizes and colours.
“The reason why people dress is sometimes to please, sometimes to be sexy, sometimes to be socially relevant, sometimes for a job. The way you present yourself — the clothes are important because they define you in a second,” explained Mrs Prada. “Clothes are a tool for that message. The first spectator of yourself is you.”
See select looks from Miu Miu's Spring/Summer 2021 collection below:
