Maison Margiela, under the creative direction of John Galliano, concluded Paris haute couture season with a mesmerizing collection, offering a brilliant vision of Parisian history. The show, held in a vaulted warehouse beneath Pont Alexandre III, showcased a diverse array of French and imaginative archetypes, including courtesans, Moulin Rouge figures, gamblers, and cat burglars.
The performance unfolded amid a set adorned with cheap chairs, scruffy café tables, police posters, broken lights, and a battered pool table. The storyline incorporated crime drama and a jewelry heist, with scenes projected on bistro mirrors turned into flat screens. The show featured an emotional opening performance by French singer Lucky Love and brought to life characters reminiscent of Pigalle from a century ago.
The cast, with waxy makeup and deranged eyes, portrayed a hallucinatory representation of Parisian life, evoking ghosts along the Seine or the denizens who sleep along the riverbanks today. The fashion presentation showcased padded cocoon jackets, gold satin dresses with Venetian courtesan-worthy bustles, and decayed countesses in corrugated cardboard gowns reminiscent of Galliano’s iconic 1984 ‘Les Incroyables’ show.
Noteworthy pieces included sexy knitted and beaded columns for women and divinely cut Demob’ chalk-stripe suits for men. The climax featured Gwendoline Christie in a latex-like crinoline over a Delph blue corset, adorned with a porcelain neck collar and skeleton-shaped gloves.
In a couture season where attention often shifted to front-row celebrities, John Galliano’s Maison Margiela show emerged as a defining fashion moment, celebrating rebellion and audacity. The tumultuous applause and fervent finale stamping marked a symbolic resurrection for Galliano after facing challenges and setbacks in his career.
This performance showcased the brand’s dedication to pushing creative boundaries and redefining the narrative of Parisian fashion history. The collection, rich in storytelling and innovation, solidifies Maison Margiela’s position as a trailblazer in the realm of haute couture.
