Margiela Pre-Fall 2011
I wish more designers used Pre-Fall as a capsule collection of reinterpreted basics for the label. I remember Isaac Mizrahi and/or Lazaro Hernandez saying they always do a plain black pant that goes into department stores but that never really gets shown in any shows. I like the idea that a label has a specific customer that they continue to serve beyond the evolving runway seasons.
Pre-Fall in my mind, should work as a thesis statement and not spin out of control into 45+ looks which weakens Autumn/Winter and always edits down to around five absolute looks that can tie the 21st century woman over for three months. More is more is more though, and no one ever says, "No thanks, I'm not interested in shopping for clothing every week of my life." Which is a whole other ball of wax that needs to be discussed at a future date. Stick a pin in that, we'll get back to it.
Margiela! That red, fuchsia and maroon combination is making me ride the crimson wave of female genital mutilation that is known as menstruation and I love it. As in, this collection brought on my special lady times as some sort act of female solidarity. Is that gross? You bet! Is it also real? You bet! That knife pleated dress is so my mother circa 1985 but with slouchy Nanookian boots and oatmeal colored winter tights that move it from the past and take it somewhere into my not too distant future.
Hot pink and greige is a colorway only a European from a certain latitude could have thought up. You have to live above the 49th parallel before you even begin to contemplate this sort of thing. It's true, think about how devoted the Scandinavians are to primary colors, it keeps them from going crazy. And also booze. Booze and Marimekko.
The black ensembles were more just a projection of what I imagine was going on in those shapes and folds.They may prove to be nothing like I imagined but what I imagined was something like: Victorian cape sleeves. Tiny bar pins on scarves. Nested collars in alternating colors. And also trousers. I think a trouser is always important. Everyone gets all bent over those strange Margiela jacket but I always always love the trousers. They're the real secret luxury.
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