A while back we looked at the strong connection that linked fashion and cars, exploring exclusive designs from the '50s inspired by cars and in particular by Chevrolet, and more recent garments, like the ones from Prada's S/S 12 collection.
Miuccia Prada went back to this same inspiration for Miu Miu's Resort 18 collection: opened by Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis, the mood was supposed to be that of a cabaret, but the inspiration came from somewhere else.
The venue was indeed the Automobile Club de France, the runway carpet bore triple stripes reminiscent of the style of the Gulf Racing suit worn by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film Le Mans, and the models energetically vroomed rather than walked down the runway, wearing rompers matched with intarsia mink fur coats, racing outfits and mechanic overalls.
Workwear prevailed and was reinvented in gingham, satin and floral prints: at times the jumpsuits - covered in patches spelling "Miu Miu", "Marilyn" (Monroe?), "Elizabeth" (Taylor?) or "Judy" (Garland?) - were worn cinched at the waist.
In a way it was more or less Prada's men's S/S 18 collection with its jumpsuits moving from Thayaht and being remixed with racing gear and pilot uniforms from the '40s, the olive green jumpsuits were indeed reminiscent of images of women pilots from the Second World War.
Yet there was also something else: the more you stared at Tommy Genesis' blue knit romper and at the second romper in yellow with triple stripes, the more something else came back to your mind, something from the '70s - the interior of Pierre Cardin's 1972 AMC Cardin Javelin.
At the beginning of the '70s American Motors started collaborating with fashion designers to make original and innovative interiors for their vehicles (see the Gucci Hornet - View this photo).
AMC's Vince Geracci went to Paris and met with Pierre Cardin who created new interpretations of their Javelin, with futuristic triple striped interiors and an elegant silhouette.
Yet there weren't only echoes of Cardin's Javelin and of his car racing chequered designs from 1968 in Miu Miu's Resort collection.
Some jumpsuits came in pale blue and pink, a combination of colours used by Yamaco for André Courrèges's early '80s wheels.
The designer - who used to drive at the time a personally styled white and pale blue Suzuki Santana S410 - produced in collaboration with the Yamaco Corporation wheels that featured cute hearts and colored lug nuts, but also decal packages, and partnered up with Honda in 1983 to develop a white and pink Courrèges Tact scooter.
In a way, if these are the real inspirations behind this collection, it is nothing new: Miuccia has borrowed and remixed Cardin and Courrèges previously and successfully (she remains the master of the remix, while Alessandro Michele at Gucci has committed some faux pas while cutting, copying, pasting and remixing...).
Prada seems to have a soft spot for automotive fashion and car races and also recycled in this collection the red and yellow chequered pattern that appeared in Castello Cavalcanti's 2013 advert featuring a lost driver in a racing suit designed by Milena Canonero. Who knows, maybe one day Miuccia Prada may be designing overpriced car accessories or even a car.
For the time being, for what regards this racing outfit/jumpsuit craze, if you want to go around dressed like the interior of a car from the '70s and you have the money to do so, you're free to do it. Otherwise, well, get a sewing pattern from the '40s, the '70s or the '80s and reinvent it, adding your own embroideries and patches. Don't forget to add your name, a sprinkle of glitter and some sequins. Ah, yes, a final caveat - if Miuccia can engage in the endless remixing exercise, you can do it too.
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