The Miu Miu I Loved & Let Go
I'm consigning some of my most unique Miu Miu looks in honor of my new book.
Growing up in a rural area, far away from the fashion world, Miu Miu was the ultimate dream for me—it was shiny, decadent and expressive, so exciting and so different than anything else I had ever seen. As a fashion writer, no other brand resonates with me as much as Miu Miu did from 2005 - 2018, when the label’s signature quirky maximalism was at its peak. My devotion for it is so strong that I’ve lovingly amassed over 100 Miu Miu pieces in my personal collection over the years. I even recently wrote a book about my obsession, called The Little Book of Miu Miu.
In honor of my new book release, I’m consigning some very special pieces from my Miu Miu archive on The RealReal. But before I let them go, I had to remember them. Here are some of their stories.
Spring 2008 Harlequin Dress
I could have written an entire tome about the Miu Miu Spring 2008 collection alone. It represents the best qualities of Miu Miu: innocence, irony, uniform dressing, and quirkiness. I ripped the campaign images, starring Kirsten Dunst, from any magazine I could find and taped them to my notebooks. They were all mesmerizing but, to me, this dress was the star of the show. I spent years tracking it down and finally found it online, but, alas, it’s never truly fit me perfectly, so I’m passing it on to another Miu Miu lover. I’m confident I will find another one that fits me better in the future.
Shop my Miu Miu harlequin dress here.
Fall 2014 Cat Boots
If I had to choose my favorite print from any Miu Miu collection it’s the geometric black cat face illustrated by Jeanne Detallante from the fall 2014 collection. The cat coats (luscious pink and brown suede or cozy wool) are my ultimate grail (if you’re reading this and you have one, please contact me, seriously). The boots are like something out of a fairy tale, with their glossy patent leather and chic little laces. A few years ago, Miu Miu hosted an event in which they displayed and sold iconic archive pieces, and the boots were there. I tried them on but, they were extremely expensive, so I didn’t purchase them that night. Magically, a few months later, I found them at the Woodbury Common outlets. They were not even close to my size, but they were a price so good I took it as a sign. I have since kept them as a display object in my home, but I think it’s time to pass them on to someone who can actually wear them in the real world.
Shop my Miu Miu cat boots here.
Resort 2019 Cat Jacket
If you can’t tell, I collect cat-themed designer fashion. Especially black cats. (I’ve had black cats my entire life and I love them!) Fortunately, they are a recurring theme in Miu Miu’s collections. This particular jacket is endlessly special to me because it’s both from one of my favorite Miu Miu shows I ever attended, and was part of the first outfit I wore to return to fashion week after the pandemic lockdown–mask and all. The resort 2019 show took place inside the iconic Hotel Regina in Paris, and Rowan Blanchard and Uma Thurman walked the runway. In the show, Kaia Gerber wore this jacket. My seat was at the bar, and it felt like an intimate gathering rather than a fashion show. It also felt like a time when Miu Miu was still a safe space for weird girls who love maximalist eccentric fashion. I was so surprised when I found this jacket on Yoox, and bought it immediately. Miu Miu outerwear is one of my favorite categories to collect, but I reach for this jacket less and less so someone else deserves to appreciate it.
Shop my Miu Miu cat jacket here.
Spring 1998 Skirt
Underwear as outerwear is another frequent theme in Miu Miu collections. I write about this at length in my book! Years ago, I was shopping at one of my favorite thrift shops with my mom and she found this sheer, gauzy lemon-hued skirt with animal embroidery from spring 1998 and handed it to me without saying a word. Sometimes, great clothing speaks for itself. I truly think it’s one of the rarest Miu Miu pieces I’ve ever found. I know with a new generation of Miu Miu collectors and sheer clothing enthusiasts, someone is really going to cherish this. I can’t wait to see how the next person styles it.
Shop my Miu Miu skirt here.
Fall 2015 Glitter Heels
Something deep inside me changed when I saw the shoes from the fall 2015 collection. The Frankenstein combinations of eclectic references, from witchery to 1960s secretaries, spoke to my soul. I bought the gold version of these shoes for myself as a gift, and wore them to my college graduation. They’re the kind of shoes that are so good, they give me chills. A few years later, I also picked up the silver versions, which are so deliciously pointy and beautifully bizarre, with their trimmings of robin’s egg blue patent leather, secondhand. I have been wearing lower heels lately, and these silver ones are pretty tall, so I am letting them go!
Shop my Miu Miu glitter shoes here.
How I wanted those glitter heels when they first came out!
Ugh my hobby is literally digitally window shopping on Substack and Miu Miu is always at the top of my list. LOVE LOVE LOVE that Harlequin dress