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This season Margiela got its kick back. Working with the core ideas and smart, wacky innovation that Martin made his name on, the collection began with a Margiela staple: paint. Not white, but yellow, then pink, then red in slapdash streaks racing down trousers and around cuffs on baggy navy suits, paired with folded down white shirts (tick deconstruction). The second ‘M for Martin’ statement was the hair. Over the years it’s been wrapped around heads, tucked under visors and worn as shoulder pads and coats. This season, they cared for hair again, tucked neatly and uniformly into loose straps at the nape of every outfit. The invite for the show, another Margiela signature, was a huge sheet of plastic, wrapped in a white plastic case, that emphasised the importance of touch and feel, something Martin always prioritised. Following last season’s giant plastic bag venue, this season, transparent coats and shiny shiny red macs shimmied down the catwalk. The show continued Martin’s idea of taking a normal thing, like embroidery or the cut of a shirt, and putting a witty spin on it. Embroidery this time took the form of messy masses of wool tangled on sheer shirts. And dresses, continuing the house’s penchant for deconstruction, were just slices of material held up by bandeau bras, not attached to the body in any way. The final looks were slogan dresses reading ‘défilé’, meaning ‘parade’, which was sly, in the most pleasing way. It was a collection that spoke more to the MMM fans than the last few seasons, and filled us with excitement about the future of Margiela.
Text: Sarah Raphael
Photography: Mitchell Sams
