Sunday, July 12, 2015

Maison Margiela Couture - Autumn/Winter 2015

John Galliano joined the central Paris calendar for his couture collection this morning, having last season made his debut in London away from the spotlight and at the tail end of the menswear shows. Today was his second couture collection and third in total for the house of  Maison Margiela where he was appointed creative director in October last year.

He took the same tack as before with a simple and pared-back space in the Grand Palais and a single line of chairs so that fashion democracy was at its best: everyone had a front row seat. And all focus could once again be on the clothes.


Today they took off from where they left off in January, those initial ideas, such as the striking red coat, recurring once more and that play on deconstruction and reconstruction, so that a sparkling ball gown had seemingly been “thrown” onto the back of a jacket; a dress morphed into a jacket that hung off its back.

It was an exploration into blending textures and transformative ideas (always a Margiela hallmark): there was cellophane and fringing, classic embroidery and one girl, who appeared encased in a beautiful green Lurex coat, looked as though she had been wrapped up in wrapping paper. It was rather spectacular, which is a trait we want to see in couture and a strength Galliano plays so well to, here incredible shapes of his incarnated in that Margiela back-to-front manner.

Yet in some ways, this was less decadent and flamboyant than the first collection, perhaps rightly so for that was a grand return and this was a continuation of. Galliano’s girl is always a little dishevelled, in that state of undress and getting dressed, sensuous. And just as much as it was very intricate at times for crochet patchwork or the matching polka dots on the face to those on the dress beneath, it was at times very simple too.

The last look, the bride moment, saw a dramatic caped gown made from anything but the tulle and taffeta you’d so typically expect. But that’s the point, Galliano was a designer who bravely pushed the boundaries about what we thought of fashion, of couture.

No comments:

Post a Comment