THE RICH, SWOONING voice of Elvis, the sweeping music of Rachmaninoff, and a womanly calm closed the international season in Paris.

The collection of shapely clothes, rounded at the bosom and with ankle-deep hemlines, came from the most unlikely source: Miuccia Prada in her Miu Miu collection.

 

 

“Beauty in different ways – just beauty,” said the Italian designer, whose deliberately “ugly” aesthetic changed the face of fashion in the 1990s.

But gone were the sour colours, the awkward cutting, and the harsh mixes. The front row of ultra-young movie stars in the making would have recognised the power of denim, although so many jackets and dresses with graceful bust lines were a surprise from Miuccia.

Not so the shoes, which had a typical Prada perversity in stilettos with a coin-sized disc as spike hit floor. The audience was willing the models, slightly heavier and more rounded than usual, to make it down the runway.

This was “Jolie Madame” country; pearls at the neck and thick upholstery-like fabrics with Art Nouveau-style patterns. The alternative to long skirts was just as retro: jodhpur trousers.

But there was charm and joy in this collection too. Of course those Miu Miu sweater sets, the velvet with denim, and the damask coats and skirts were aching with irony. But this something different from Miu Miu might just light a fire for next season.

The Elvis voice soared through “Surrender”. And why wouldn’t we?