Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal Fall 2012

Colin Dawidziuk | July 5, 2012 | 0 Comments

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The house of Margiela has got a lot of expectations on its shoulders, with the upcoming collaboration with H&M hitting stores this November. And although many theories have presented themselves, including jackets cemented to the floor, meaning the collab may be known as the Maison Martin Massacre (we kid, although we have stated that this collaboration is likely to be fashion’s answer to The Hunger Games).

Despite this, however, the Artisanal debut from the Margiela mind was far from commercial, though had it’s wearable elements – one editor from British Vogue hinted that the opening look of a deconstructed 1905 tailcoat with a crystal door knob fastening was a hint of what was to come for the collaboration. And although the idea of a doorknob fastening in a H&M store sounds absurd, the retailer has it’s ways of working around the ingenious mind of the Margiela maison. As per the Margiela aesthetic, the focus was on the clothes themselves, though the crystallised masks which models donned were the epitome of what haute couture week represents – lavish beauty in all its senses, and inextricably unwearable and often impractible. The lacey prints and accompanying French lace were the height of luxury and epitomized the Margiela mindset of a more dark approach towards fashion, but still fit in to the mantra of the fall season. The Margiela attitude of reusing, reworking, and reconstructing was present throughout, giving the collection a unique aspect in that there was little cohesion between actual pieces, and the vintage silhouettes and cuts were indicative of a harking back to an archival nature, yet another fixture amongst the couturiers of the now. The heavy embroidery and beading alongside the delicate laces was indicative of a more destructive approach to the couture collection, as the juxtaposition added towards the overall Margiela mindset. The color palette stuck to the season, though the inclusion of the bright salmon pink was a surefire way to impress the fashion world with it’s brashness.

The Maison Martin Margiela approach towards fashion, despite its often impractibility for the general public, garners to a select few amongst us. But there is no denying that, for a couture debut, much like show attendee Raf Simons, the ability of the designer to inextricably redefine the way we see fashion, couture, and the aesthetic of the world around us is an exciting thing to see so long in to the fashion cycle. And naturally, that approach comes from the Margiela hive, for which we can only thank, appreciate, and praise them for – that, and the pseudo-eco approach that they adopted so smartly.