There was a magpie mood at the Masion Margiela show on Wednesday where designer John Galliano presented a collection that saw different elements of dress meld together in eclectic ensembles.
This form of fashion is Galliano’s happy place. His ability to see the beauty in any era, style of dress, or location (real or fictional) is unparalleled. It is a talent that makes it possible for him to create pieces from a number of disparate sources and bring them together to create something bigger and richer than the sum of its parts. It’s a gift that he shares with the founder of this unique house and is one of the reasons his tenure at Margiela feels so right.
This time Galliano’s skill was even more apparent as the designer toned down the theatrics even further on his catwalk. He gave each model their own unique style of hair and makeup but stopped short of asking them to embody a particular character as they walked his runway. In this way it was the multifarious clothing that reaped all the attention.
This way, a classic trench coat would appear finished off with colorful knit muff-like wide cuffs. A vintage bomber pilot’s worn in jacket would grow into a cape/dress. Or a bipolar knit sweater, which smashed together different patterns and colors, was only held in check by a super wide belt cinched tight against the torso.
As always with Galliano there is a poetry to his enthusiastic abandonment of any semblance of normality. With what is going on in the real world right now, a bit of escapism is a welcomed reprieve.