Miu Miu Spring 2026 Puts Women’s Work(wear) Under the Microscope
This season has been dominated by male creative directors designing for women, and all we have to say is: thank goodness for Miuccia Prada. She is always designing through the female gaze, and her latest Miu Miu collection did just that—by recontextualizing classic women’s workwear tropes like the apron, a familiar favorite in the vast lexicon of Mrs. Prada. Milla Jovovich, Sandra Hüller, Hailey Gates, and Richard E. Grant walked the runway in one of the coolest castings of fashion month.
The coed show saw a sea of leather, crochet, and utilitarian cotton aprons that popped against the midcentury modern-inspired Formica tables, which served as seats for guests. The typical Palais d’Iéna space was totally transformed, with floor-to-ceiling yellow PVC fringe curtains and a neon pink ground.
“The apron is my favorite piece of clothing, it is something I have been obsessed with, from before even my earliest collections, and it has always been present in Miu Miu,” Mrs. Prada said in a statement given to the press. “This is the first time we have made it the focus of a collection. The apron fascinates me as an emblem. It symbolizes women, from factories through to serving to the home. It is about protection and care—for me, it is a symbol of the effort and hardship of women.” The garment appeared in the spring 2026 lineup bejeweled; draped over stiff shirting with leather yokes; and as off-kilter leather versions styled over bikinis or barn jackets. Floral prints manifested on 1970s-style vested pinafore dresses. Traditional standards of dress were reshaped, shrunken, and oversized.
During the research phase, Mrs. Prada looked to the documentary photography of Dorothea Lange and Helga Paris, as well as Luis Buñuel’s 1964 film Le journal d’une femme de chambre. Louis Malle’s flick, Humain, trop Humain, was top of mind too—it was filmed in the Citroën factory in Rennes, where the designer saw “a true window into the lives of women.”
Styled by Lotta Volkova, spring 2026 gave a shout-out to devoted fans of 2010s multilayered Miu Miu. A jumble of scarves and belt-like necklaces was piled on. Underwear was visible—another one of Mrs. Prada’s signature moves—through pink pastel apron frocks. Butcher-shop chic aprons with leather ruffles were worn on top of sweaters with checkered neck scarves. Sturdy leather gloves sealed the deal in terms of defining accessories.
As conservative values rise and tradwife culture permeates social media, Miu Miu is doing what it does best—reflecting contemporary culture through fashion. Consider it one of Mrs. Prada’s many love letters to the art of the uniform.
