Spring 2011

Such wonderful things that are pulling together. Almost done with finishing up my website for my work, and I've got lots of it. I got that internship. No complains.

Long Live McQueen

The Rapture of Maison Martin Margiela

The loyal fans of Maison Martin Margiela can rejoice again this time around. After a well rounded (no pun intended)collection from fall/winter '10, the design team is already starting to grab a hold of the reins and put avant-garde back on the map. Slowly, but surely. For spring/summer '11, they delivered a seemingly two dimensional collection that appears flat to the front, but radically squared off at shoulders, easily flowing in the back to contour the shape of the body. Extreme trompe l'oeil? Yes. Maybe it's a philosophical idea? One can only look at the front, but become totally unaware at the other side. Reference to how the Maison functions? We'll just let the clothes speak for themselves.

The catch this time: men's wardrobe better suited on women. That was the selling point, quite frankly, the only point. Blazers, trench coats, trousers and button ups are colored in the traditional Margiela code: black, nudes, greys, pale cerulean, and burning fuchsia, stretched over a cardboard form. Dresses become permanently embedded in the process (a cue in the history of Maison). The last several looks did require a second glance to what appears to be a model, vacuumed between stiff leather Hefty bags.

But real question remains: what will be on the shelves when the collection hit the retail stores? Rest assured, all this will evolve in the near future.

Stop Buying, Start Saving.

Dame Westwood is never short of ideas, but if you come to think of it, she has so much ideas, it's really hard to pinpoint what theme she wants to be most important in her collection. She is ferociously fierce about saving the Earth's gloom future, the universal theme. Earlier this year, she made a prolific statement. She, as I imagined, shouted in protest, urging people not to shop for clothes. Whatever it may be, she clearly stated it loudly through her collection. She knows a way to have people wanting more.

For the spring/summer 2011 collection, models were smeared with a questionable white paint running from the eyelid to her hairline, brightly colored crayons naively scribble up the faces. Black tinted the lips in a Egyptian way. Clearly, there is a message through this playful makeup. But let's dive straight into the ready-to-wear. Taffeta, silk, and cotton, in every color and texture form heart shaped tops. Horizontal stripes, tie-dye effect skirts, flower prints, and her signature plaid molded spring/summer '11 into something that is deemed wearable. Let's face it, it's more about garnering attention.

I admire her political views, I really do, but sometimes when I'm admiring her collection, I think "how would this radically change politics and the environment? Could this be relevant?" Yes. It's more about being educated of Earth's gloom future in a feel good presentation. There is one thing to bear in mind, this is the future of the eco-warrior woman.