Miu Miu's masterclass in pragmatic oomph

Miu Miu is not a famously practical label. As a rule, its shows are playful, colourful and girlishly sexy. Recent catwalk hits have included the briefest of mini skirts - barely worthy of the name - and baby pink satin slippers with 11cm dagger heels.

The definition of a taxi shoe. But this season Miuccia Prada took a very different approach when dressing a starry selection of models including Emily Ratajkowski, Lindsay Wixson and musician FKA Twigs for her catwalk.

For a start, there were very useful zip pockets on the front of wide low-slung denim belts. Generous pockets featured on the breasts of rainproof jackets in utilitarian shades of stone, khaki, sand and grey which also had drawstring waists and hems - perfect for a very un-Miu Miu yomp on a windy moor.

Equally sturdy were sensible, if elegant, stone-washed denim suits and simple black loafers paired with grey ribbed socks. Though these are styles that will hit the shops in time for spring, Miu Miu, along with a lot of other fashion houses this season, made scarcely a nod to warm weather.

You could battle through a nuclear winter in one of these caramel-coloured leather jerkins. And slip on the sleek, minimalist black or camel cashmere coat or the very neat cropped black tailored skirt suit and you would be well armoured for any boardroom scuffle.

But they weren’t exactly full of the joys of spring. The gloomy lighting and film of snowflakes falling projected on large screens which served for a backdrop didn’t lighten the mood.

Luckily for the many Miu Miu wearers on the pink-slippered end of the scale, Mrs Prada also offered sheer, glittery sequinned tops and skirts in lemon and lime with neon green and pink toeless booties to pair them with. And if pockets don’t work for your silhouette, there were some very neat, elegant grown-up day bags in black leather.

Just as revealing as the sequin numbers, but a little more utilitarian, were black bra tops and some bottoms that hadn’t yet made up their mind if they were skirts or belts. But even these came with the sort of clip fastenings you’d find on a hiker’s backpack, and large padded pockets. A masterclass in pragmatic oomph.