A New Face at Miu Miu

The first image from Miu Miu's Fall Winter 2011 campaign has landed in our collective cyber-consciousness and we're giving it a double thumbs up. Shot by Bruce Weber in the Miami sunshine, True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld is the latest in a string of actresses to become muse to Miuccia Prada. Following in the footsteps of Hollywood's finest, Steinfeld joins the ranks of Lindsay Lohan, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst as the new face of Prada's younger sister brand.

The beautifully shot ad is worlds away from Miu Miu's sharp-edged Spring Summer campaign which incited complaints of irresponsible advertising due to model Kasia Struss' underweight appearance. In contrast, Steinfeld appears relaxed and natural with minimal retouching or makeup. That's not to suggest the new ad will be any less controversial, Steinfeld's age (14) is already stirring up negative responses from some fashion critics.

Teen faces in bed with big brands is nothing new in the realm of high fashion, but there have been a few girls pushing the boundaries of media responsibility recently. A 13 year old Elle Fanning starred in Rodarte's short film The Curve of Forgotten Things earlier this year, and 16 year old Dutch modeling revelation Daphne Groeneveld ruffled a few feathers via her provocative pairing with Tom Ford on the cover of Vogue Paris' January issue.

Wondering where we stand on the age debate? While the motives of fashion moguls can be questionable in some cases, it's doubtful Miuccia Prada had shock tactics on her mind when she selected Steinfeld. The young actress' partnership with stylist Karla Welch during the True Grit press tour struck red carpet gold putting Steinfeld at the top of every industry insider's hot list (plus pocketing an Oscar nomination at the tender age of 14 is not to be sneezed at). The casting choice simply proves Miu Miu are ahead of the pack when it comes to recognising new talent, and we're awaiting the full campaign release with bated breath.

Words: Renee Warne