Miuccia Prada, the head designer at Prada and the founder of Miu Miu, is no stranger to the silver screen.
She teamed with famed director Baz Lurhmann and Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin to design pieces for the films Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby in 1996 and 2013 respectfully, and she’s back on the big screen to design for the forthcoming film Elvis, starring Austin Butler as Elvis and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla.
Prada headed back to the archives to design clothes that perfectly fit the film as it celebrates and revisits Presley's life, music and of course, fashion.
“Central to the Elvis narrative is Elvis and Priscilla’s legendary love story,” Martin says in a press release. “Priscilla Presley’s beauty and iconic style has indelibly marked contemporary culture. Accordingly, it was important for Baz and I that we remain true to this legacy by not merely imitating Ms. Presley’s actual clothes, but that we find a modern way of connecting audiences to her distinctive, history-making style.”
Studying Presley's own personal styles, Prada and Miu Miu pulled from their own brand archives to inspire new creations that blended the real Presley’s vintage style with modern classics.
The two brands have always had their hearts in the past and their eyes on the future, which makes this collaboration all the more perfect. Many of the brand's archival designs were already inspired by the period in the 20th century when Elvis was at the height of his fame—and some looks were inspired by Priscilla Presley herself.
Many of her iconic outfits were reinvented for this new film, including a brocade pantsuit with beads and fringes. For Elvis, Prada designed a plum-colored mohair suit both of which aim to capture the essence of the characters in the film, as well as the iconic silhouettes and forms that fans have come to recognize.
To celebrate the upcoming film, Prada and Miu Miu shared original sketches and designs for some of the film’s most eye-catching costumes. Gawk at these designs and more when Elvis premiers at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 24, in theaters around the world on June 22, and in North America on June 24.
Photography by: Courtesy of Prada
