Miaou

Perhaps more so than anyone, designer Alexia Elkaim knows the singular struggle of finding a pair of pants that fit well—it’s the reason she created womenswear label Miaou. Raised between Paris and Los Angeles, Elkaim spent her youth scouring flea markets and listening to French chanteuses Brigitte Bardot and Françoise Hardy. In 2016 she founded Miaou on a one-off pair of denim pants, lovingly recreated from a favorite Parisian vintage find. Elkaim’s body-hugging jeans instantly went viral, quickly amassing a digital cult following including the zeitgeist’s crop of Insta-models. Miaou’s subsequent evolution into a full-fledged luxury brand has seen Elkaim expand her retro-romantic vibe across a complete offering of women’s ready-to-wear. The label’s line of signature trousers are tailored with a high rise and slim leg for a universally-flattering fit. Demure mini dresses, cropped jackets, and bustier-style blouses evoke the gamine aesthetic of mid-century French bombshells, with sexy tailoring, from fitted blazers and pencil skirts to pantsuits, channeling the casual glamour of 90’s supermodels. Miaou’s sportswear line riffs on the kitschy logomania of 80’s and 90’s designer athletics, featuring colorblocked pullover windbreakers, bike shorts, logo t-shirts, and sports bras.