For Miu Miu’s spring/summer 2008 collection, Miuccia Prada wove a fantastically alluring story that toyed with countless clichés of girlhood and womanhood.
The show’s opening look, a satin red cape paired with complimentary black mini skirt, evoked the image of a grown-up Little Red Riding Hood, setting the tone for the collection’s underlying air of seductive innocence. Lacy bib collars with delicate ruffled edges accessorized model’s otherwise bare necks, while baby doll silhouettes were further eroticized through their shorter-than-normal hemlines. Heels and lace up boots decorated with butterflies, flame-like petals and insects complimented a majority of the collection’s looks, while the show’s closing numbers were paired with satin pumps featuring white and black ruffled ankle cuffs, similar in appearance to a traditional garter belt.
Fantastical fairies were featured throughout many of the show’s looks, a nod to Mrs. Prada’s other Spring/Summer 2008 collection for the designer’s eponymous, Italian fashion house. The clown-like, colorful harlequin prints seen throughout the collection’s dresses, shoes, and handbags transported show-goers from a traditional runway environment to an atmosphere akin to a high-fashion cirque. As the show progressed, the looks grew bolder and more stripped down, most notably demonstrated through a nude, transparent jumpsuit featuring intricate, firework-like emerald beading. The collection closed with two, tutu-skirted mini dresses covered in delicate rows of micro ruffles, a dramatic, Swan Lake-like finale of restrained eroticism.

References
- 1
- 2
Edgar Brandt
Art Deco Sconces

Pablo Picasso
Harlequin and his Girlfriend (Wandering Gymnasts), 1901

Steven Mesisel
Madonna, 1993

Erwin Blumenfeld
Diana, 1945

Yves Saint Laurent
Fall/Winter 1979, Picasso Collection

Victor Vasarely
Majus, 1973

Bernard Buffet
Clown sur fond bleu, 1977

Carlo Mollino
Interior of Casa Devalle, Turin, Italy, 1939
Adolf Loos
Table Lamp, 1910

Cabaret de L'Enfer
Paris, 1892-1950

Erwin Blumenfeld
Jean Patchett, Vogue US Cover, 1950

Louis Comfort Tiffany
Hanging Head Dragonfly Table Lamp, 1905-1910

Pablo Picasso
Harlequin, 1915

Paul Cezanne
Pierrot and Harlequin, 1888

Pierre Legrain
Birdcage on Stand, 1922-23

Victor Horta Interior
Brussels, Belgium

Victor Vasarely
Planetary folklore (two works)

Yves Saint Laurent
Fall/Winter 1979, Picasso Collection II

References

Edgar Brandt
Art Deco Sconces
1 of 20

Pablo Picasso
Harlequin and his Girlfriend (Wandering Gymnasts), 1901
3 of 20

Steven Mesisel
Madonna, 1993
4 of 20

Erwin Blumenfeld
Diana, 1945
5 of 20

Yves Saint Laurent
Fall/Winter 1979, Picasso Collection
6 of 20

Victor Vasarely
Majus, 1973
7 of 20

Bernard Buffet
Clown sur fond bleu, 1977
8 of 20
Carlo Mollino
Interior of Casa Devalle, Turin, Italy, 1939
9 of 20

Adolf Loos
Table Lamp, 1910
10 of 20

Cabaret de L'Enfer
Paris, 1892-1950
11 of 20

Erwin Blumenfeld
Jean Patchett, Vogue US Cover, 1950
12 of 20

Louis Comfort Tiffany
Hanging Head Dragonfly Table Lamp, 1905-1910
13 of 20

Pablo Picasso
Harlequin, 1915
14 of 20

Paul Cezanne
Pierrot and Harlequin, 1888
15 of 20

Pierre Legrain
Birdcage on Stand, 1922-23
16 of 20

Victor Horta Interior
Brussels, Belgium
18 of 20

Victor Vasarely
Planetary folklore (two works)
19 of 20
