Miu Miu at Paris Fashion Week AW15
© Catwalking

It seemed appropriate, after a week of animal prints — from abstract and atonal at Dior to the zebra skins of sequins at Saint Laurent, and from exotic frog-print mules at Carven to the embroidered butterfly wings that fluttered over Valentino’s enchanting evening gowns — that the season should close with a perfectly beastly show at Miu Miu.

For autumn/winter 2015 Miuccia Prada had emblazoned leopard spots on ciré and python skins on tweeds. Her prints were brash, primary-bright and multi-layered: a big cat coat in cotton twill over a mock croc dress with a giant-sized print and patent shoes.

The tweeds were heavy, dense and woven into fitted apron-fronted red dresses, kilt-style skirts that buttoned on the hip and 1950s-style car coats. They replicated the same themes seen at spring/summer 2015, but where last season Prada had perverted the more prim looks with sheer chiffons, cropped tops and a John Waters-ish mischief, here the looks were tempered with pilgrim-collared shirts in bright striped cottons as might become a kitchen table in Puglia, and loose weave-knitted sweaters patterned with little holes. The girls gave the impression that they had been styled by both a convent schoolgirl novice and her punk rebel friend. And the two looks were constantly in tension.

Add to that an embarrassment of Jelly Baby-delicious pastel patent shoes and big enamel daisy jewellery and this colourful carnival of the animals made for a very pretty season’s finale indeed.

For more reports from the Paris shows, visit our fashion weeks page on the FT web app or our AW2015 fashion weeks hub on FT.com

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