Hilary Swank walking for Miu Miu was something I never expected to see at Paris Fashion Week, but as soon as she hit the runway I had a visceral reaction. The Million Dollar Baby star has been working steadily since the '90s, yet remained largely out of the spotlight over the last five to ten years. It was like seeing a long lost friend across the subway platform, if your long lost friend just so happened to have two Academy Awards under her belt.
Celebrity casting is a fashion month mainstay, of course. Queer pop star Troye Sivan walked the Spring 2024 runway for Miu Miu. Prior to that, the Fall 2023 show was opened by Mia Goth and closed by Emma Corrin. The Italian fashion house even got FKA Twigs to appear on the Spring 2023 catwalk. Miu Miu's affinity for young talent is central to the brand's DNA. Which makes the decision to tap 50-year-old Swank—along with 69-year-old Poor Things actor Willem Dafoe—for this season's presentation even more delicious.
Between looks championing the sporty-chic windbreaker trend, Swank hit the catwalk in a chocolate brown patent leather trench coat wrapped with not one but three belts: a silver floral filigree chain belt, a gold chain belt held together by ovular rings, and a brown leather belt with an oversize buckle. The reflective trench was accessorized with a pair of bubblegum pink patent leather slides that featured a gray sock-like knit panel. Swank seemingly wore very little makeup apart from foundation, blush, and lip balm for a look reminiscent of 57-year-old model Pamela Anderson's "raw, no makeup" era. Interestingly, Anderson debuted her bare-faced prerogative at Paris Fashion Week two years ago, in October 2023.
In any case, I'm thrilled to see famed creative director Miuccia Prada using her platform to hard-launch the Hilary Swank renaissance. Truly, her appearance at Paris Fashion Week couldn't have been more cleverly timed. Last week, Deadline broke the news that Swank will be a recurring star in the forthcoming third season of Yellowjackets, with the chance to become a series regular in the fourth season if the show is renewed. The bad news is that season three was delayed by strikes and won't premiere on Showtime until next year, but her stunning runway debut should be more than enough to tide me over in the meantime.
