Richard E. Grant: Miu Miu Boy. Who’d have thought? And yet, there he was – in a slouchy knitted pullover, a colourful cravat, and a black leather apron, looking perfectly at home. To be fair, it made sense. There’s an intellectual preppiness about him, a dishevelled bohemian edge that aligns neatly with the brand’s codes. And he wasn’t alone. Oscar-winner Sandra Hüller appeared in a thick, factory-issue workwear jacket and a utilitarian blue apron. Milla Jovovich wore a ruffled cotton version; model Cortiza Star had on a sleek, tan leather iteration.

Can you spot the common thread? Aprons.

Yes, Miuccia Prada has long been fascinated by workwear and domesticity, but here, it was front and centre. Guests were seated on Formica tabletops, and you wouldn’t be surprised if feather dusters or oven mitts peeked from the models’ back pockets. But this wasn’t parody – it was nuance. It was ‘Women’s Work’ explored, reframed, and subverted. “Work as an expression of effort,” read the show notes. “Work as a symbol of care and love. Work as a reflection of independence, a means of agency.”

Aprons came in all forms – crisp, frilly, clinical, embellished, leather-bound – layered over 1950s housewife knits, distressed drill pants, and softened worker boots. There were layered shirts, colourblock uniforms, and coats that hinted at an industrial past. Broadening the offering into more liberated territory were beautiful laser-cut dresses that mimicked crochet, worn over bikinis; ruffled bibs; suede jackets cleanly sliced into waistcoats; and supple 70s-style leather coats.

Speaking through references, Miuccia name-checked German photographer Helga Paris, in particular her 1984 photo series Women at the Treff-Modelle Clothing Factory – a body of monochrome portraits documenting women in a state-owned clothing plant in East Berlin. Intimate portraits of women mid-shift, mid-thought, mid-life. Not posed, but present – very Miuccia.