Alexander Fury Dishes on the Return of Menswear at Miu Miu

Mrs. Prada brought everyone’s favorite micro mini skirt back to the runway for Miu Miu’s Fall/Winter ’22 show, only this time, the barely there silouette was met with low-rise leather cheek-grazing shorts and a series of tartan variations on the now-ubiquitous look. But it’s not only reduced hemlines and prepster fits we have to be thankful for. This season, Miu Miu’s cult-classic menswear returned to the catwalk with a vengence, a dream come true for fashion nerds the world over. To discuss, our editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg caught up with the AnOther Magazine Fashion Features Director and Financial Times menswear critic Alexander Fury after the show.

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MEL OTTENBERG: Hey Alex Fury, we’re walking and talking. Do you know the song “Forever Came Today” by The Supremes?

ALEXANDER FURY: No.

OTTENBERG: It goes, “When you came into my life, and it turned into paradise, forever came today.” Is that how you feel after the Miu Miu show?

FURY: That’s how I feel about you, every day.

OTTENBERG: Thank you so much, that is very flattering—but like, how do you feel about the return of Miu Miu mens?

FURY: Miu Miu mens never went away for me, because I wear Miu Miu all the time.

OTTENBERG: And you’re wearing Miu Miu right now! Fresh off the runway. What size is that jacket?

FURY: 36, Italian.

OTTENBERG: So you’re non-plussed?

FURY: It’s a joy. I have been raptured by Mrs. Prada.

Miu Miu Fall/Winter ’22.

OTTENBERG: I know you’re fucking psyched, I’m psyched. I’ve never seen myself in a Miu Miu show before.

FURY: You felt represented.

OTTENBERG: Wait, let’s talk about Lotta Volkova for a second. She ate Miu Miu OUT. The styling—I mean, Miuccia Prada is god—but Lotta, no sophomore slump here. 

FURY: It’s that amazing thing of having the confidence to stick with what you did last season when everyone else is in this cycle of constant change. The idea of believing in what you’ve created and wanting to reiterate and reemphasize it. We often end up with retail fatigue by this point in a season, and I don’t think anyone is fatigued by last season’s Miu Miu, even though it’s been kind of ubiquitous. To re-approach that this season, I thought it was clever.

Miu Miu Fall/Winter ’22.

FURY: Now it’s about the leather shorts—the low-rise, double belt leather shorts, or lederhosen.

OTTENBERG: What’s your number one pick for yourself?

FURY: I actually want the leather shorts. 

OTTENBERG: I can’t wait to see you in them. Another thing I was saying to you yesterday was that I wasn’t feeling all the butch realness. I love butch realness, but I wasn’t fully convinced by it. Now I am—not because of everyone else—but because of Miuccia Prada. It’s the right butch look that I wasn’t feeling, and she sold me on it.

Miu Miu Fall/Winter ’22.

FURY: It’s the 1920s, ‘30s lesbian look. Take Amelia Earhart, for example—this idea of butch women dressing as men when it was an incredibly transgressive thing to do. I think it’s kind of interesting that that’s what people are referencing…maybe it’s because there’s been so much femininity recently. Now to see women dressed like this, there’s something about it that feels fresh and new and still a little bit provocative. I think that is very interesting. 

OTTENBERG: I love it, and I love you. See you never. 

FURY: See you never, babe. Throw yourself in front of traffic babe.

OTTENBERG: Bye, babe.