Tradition is a dirty word when you’re talking about the avant-garde. But Maison Martin Margiela’s intimate show last night at the Halle Freyssinet had something ultra traditional to it. Deconstructed bien sûr, but traditional all the same. Models sulked through pools of light around which the press sat on little wooden chairs from different periods. It was very far from the stadium chill of some of today’s fashion mega-events. Of course, Margiela himself has officially left the house, so everyone has been anxious to see what the kingdom becomes without its king. Well, marvellous, actually. As always, Margiela is allergic to romance and whimsy and addicted to fine tailoring and that exploded detail that undermines your idea of accepted style. The design team behind the house have inherited the founder’s impatience for the kind of seasonal gimmicks (the Balmain shoulder, the bourgeois love affair) that make a collection feel cloying. The totem-pole headpieces in faux fur that tottered out at the end of the show (evening looks?) were captivating, and sure to pop up in gloss spreads from here to the Cleveland Plain, but the most innovative details were in the outsize waistlines and sheer drapery that showed a novel blend of strength and vulnerability.
www.maisonmartinmargiela.com/
Maison Martin Margiela, 5 March, Halle Freyssinet
