There is something going on over at the Maison Martin Margiela. An alternate universe the journalists, buyers, and loyal fans stepped into. Still, something is weird in the air. Last season, the models walked at a slow pace, wearing stiff sandwich boards in the front of the garment; that proved to be a visually arresting trompe l'oeil. Autumn/Winter '11 offered something less complex, screaming a subtle hint of intellectual sensuality, bursting at the seams, literally.
The story behind this collection is about dresses and the myriad of possibilities of how it should be worn: over or underneath a coat. Then there is the coat that had the option to be worn openly as a dress or simply hanging off the arm, much like peeling wallpaper. This "peeling" effect worked at the seams of dresses, all the way to the ruched boots. Gloves were half zipped, falling just below the knee. Fuchsia, forest green, and cream white patent leather skirts peek behind the dresses(or was it a coat?), exhibiting the "hidden behind" theme that resonates for many seasons now. Rabbit fur is transformed into a gorgeous floor sweeping skirt, matched with "peeling" silver gloves. Everyone seemed to have overlooked the ash gray silk dress, casually hanging off the neck as a scarf in an interesting placing. Don't miss the rings, nonchalantly connected with the bracelet that seem to resemble industrial type tools. The clutches that were sent out had a fold-over effect. It looked like folded up discarded leather material, remaining from the dresses.
The Maison always put on a show that toyed with the notions of disheveled looks, paired with anti-commercialism. However, it seemed to have lost some spark, magic and the weirdness in his shows; that left when the mastermind left the house. Only it's up to the team to bring it back.
