Staged strikingly upon the runway in the world-renowned Palais d’Iena, Miu Miu has once again put on a show that articulates the modern, inquisitive and innovative woman. The Italian luxury label established under the Prada Group due to its founder – Miuccia Prada, Mario Prada’s granddaughter – has seen surges in its popularity and subsequent financial success in recent years. The new release of their Fall Winter range, Ways of Looking, emphasises the importance of how we perceive – perception being the “act of intervention and invention”. It is these qualities that are then translated into their designs, distinguishing the Italian fashion house from its luxury competitors.

Located in the chic fashion capital of Paris; the Palais d’lena is an architectural treasure that expresses the grandeur of the famous city in one single structure. South Korean artist Geumhyung Jeong worked with Miu Miu and the space, effortlessly depicting Miu Miu’s tone. Jeong adopted a white, raised walkway circuiting the middle of the industrial space, giving the illusion of uninterrupted observation of all that is happening in the closed space. Surrounding both the outside of the runway as well as filling the centre of the space, two similar walkways are positioned, but for those attending as guests; continuing this theme of impartiality that installs a sense of all-knowing. This simple structure hosting the 2023 Fall Winter show, communicated Miu Miu’s message simply, stating how the Ways of Looking – no matter your physical position in a space – is not the main informant of personal perception, but rather is “a window to thinking”. Thus, it can be assumed that the company is trying to state that its pieces are visually understood through the unique eye of the beholder – personal and meaningful to everyone in an innovative way.

Empowering questioning through their choices in design, Miu Miu’s 2023 Fall Winter range does so acutely. By engaging with the common winter trend of layering, Miu Miu has altered the expected by using sheer and translucent fabrics – for their stockings’, dresses and underlayers – to necessitate a closer look, an appraisal. Amidst this bold, modern take to a high-brand fashion show; a classic and chic undertone remains. Continuity is seen in the main use of materials for the winter pieces, where sheer items are paired seamlessly with grand fur coats, modest cotton cardigans and classic knee-length skirts. It is the combination of these elements that maintain Miu Miu’s message without comprising the image and perception of luxury fashion.

“The performance of characters who inhabit this world is immediate — LIVE! — one moment, then self-absorbed, even remote, the next. A studied disorientation occurs — the familiar is disrupted. That same disruption is implicit in their wardrobe.” exclaims Miu Miu’s team in a press statement. So, Miu Miu’s 2023 Fall Winter collection has been unveiled as a campaign discussing how the observation of their items can initially be taken as disruptive. Yet, it is in this break from the ordinary that questioning can be made, and individual meaning can be found in this new perception.