John Galliano has always been obsessed with ‘’the bourgeois gesture’’ which has occupied his thoughts of late, beginning with the Maison Margiela Haute Couture collection he showed in January. For ready-to-wear, he continued that investigation with grace and quiet power.
There was in Galliano this strong desire to smash the codes of the most respectable bourgeoisie to pieces – a job he has worked hard for several seasons.
Thus, the bourgeois silhouettes were here deconstructed, cut out, layered and crossed with uniform codes of dressing to end in a new kind of bourgeoisie. The atmosphere, full of energy but also refined, was supported by an excellent color palette – powdery roses, oranges, absinthe, loden green, turquoise, teal, primary yellow, lilac and salmon. A moving immersion in its unique and unequaled sense of color.
There was also an eco-responsible theme – leitmotif, among other things, of the founder Martin Margiela.
Galliano’s ‘’Recicla’’ initiative is a step on from the ‘’Replica’’ reeditions of vintage clothing that Martin Margiela originated at the house, making sure to print the date of provenance on the label. Galliano’s purpose in studying vintage pieces is different: actual vintage pieces he and his team sourced and integrated into the collection, sometimes as a single item, and sometimes incorporated into other items. Galliano noted in his podcast that such upcycling serves a dual purpose. First, it references Martin Margiela’s early embrace of vintage items, and it speaks to the need for fashion to slow down, while ‘’giving something a new life’’.
©Maison Margiela
