HAILEE SEINFIELD 4 MIU MIU

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Lots of hoo-ha about the fact Miuccia Prada hired 14 year old Hailee Steinfeld to be the face of her younger line Miu Miu. Makes perfect sense to me. Steinfeld is astoundingly good in True Grit, and Prada is as highly attuned to new talent as it is to projects that will garner maximum attention in every media stream available to them. For her part Steinfeld clearly has management leading her down the high fashion road to a A-list longevity. Thankfully Hailee is no Lindsay Lohan, (who starred in a Miu Miu campiagn shot by Mert & Marcus back  in 2007), as evidenced by the fact, for the first time, Prada hired Bruce Weber to shoot their campaign images. Weber is famously "wholesome" in his photography of women, and his usual territotry is cute homoerotic young men and labradors. So just in case there was a shout of "child exploitation!", playing the Weber card is a master stroke. Of course the styling by Joe mcKenna is as genius as usual. Now onto my favourite bit, the wonderfully written, fashion-intellectual press release.

Hailee Steinfeld poses pensively on a lush lawn, and makes us all want those shoes

"It seems particularly apposite that Hailee wears a highly structured silhouette reminiscent of that from the forties. Here, the below-the-knee modesty is countered by the toughness and strength of the shoulder and each is balanced by the playful sprays of blossoms and daisies, shining swallows and glittering heels – with all of their ‘ruby slipper’ connotations. It is a magical time that is captured in the campaign and it was an event not lost on the young actress. “I had such an amazing experience working with the Miu Miu team on this new campaign,” said Hailee. “It's so much fun to have the chance to work with such a gifted designer and wear these incredible clothes. I feel so lucky to be a part of it.”

"The multiplicities and dichotomies of Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu woman are further explored this season through the advertising campaign for Autumn/Winter 2011. Making his photographic debut for the label is Bruce Weber and this, together with the casting of the gifted actress Hailee Steinfeld as the ‘Miu Miu girl’, brings with it yet another layer of meaning to an already complex view of femininity contained within this sophisticated and elegant collection. Both ‘contemporary’ and ‘discerning’ glamour are the touchstones for this season’s viewpoint. In today’s world they are often seen at odds, but in Miu Miu for Autumn-Winter they are united in purpose. The idea of ‘discretion’ functions in both senses of the word and is personified by a woman confident in her individuality, someone who is not conditioned by the dictates of design. Her elegance is fresh and feminine and far from conventional.


In Bruce Weber’s photographs Hailee is the conveyer of this message. She is a girl who has the stature – in both senses – to carry these mature and elegant silhouettes whilst still remaining true to her youthful spirit. It is this timeless exuberance in attitude and strength of character that is sort in all Miu Miu women, both surpassing and diminishing years."

Marvellous.