Analysis of a Collection:
Maison Margiela Autumn/Winter 2000
Ask
Research, analyze, and synthesize a influential fashion collection from after 1980 by clearly defining the designers intent. Define common design elements, historical context, and lasting legacy pertaining to the label and the fashion industry.
Process
My process began in the research stage, looking both at Maison Margiela as a label during the 1990s, as well as the prevailing trends of the industry during the turn of the millenium.
The design elements stage saw me identifying common design facets present in the collection, as well as external elements like set, lighting, ambience, and music.
Perhaps the most important stage, the collection synthesis stage was where I combined design elements with historical context in order to identify the designer’s intent with the collection.
Outcome
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Maison Margiela’s A/W 2000 Collection is today considered their most bold and influential. The line, premiering in Paris a few months before the turn of the millennium, would forever define the label’s style throughout the 2000s.
The cold and disturbing setting of the show - an abandoned train station at the outskirts of France’s capital, would mark a darker and moodier direction for the brand, antithetical to the then current glamorous trends of Margiela’s contemporaries.
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The theme to this collection was oversized and exaggerated. Almost all the garments are much to big for the models, creating draping and voluminous silhouettes. We see uses of recycled materials, deconstructed tailoring, and distression.
The grittier design elements were contrasted by sparkling accessories and mirrored discs affixed to garments, refracting light throughout the show.
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In this collection, Margiela experiments with the duality between light and dark, as well as masculinity and femininity. The dark tones and unnatural silhouettes of the set and garments contrast with the glittering details and accessories, a stark departure from the trends of the time.
The almost cocoon like garments and traditional masculine tailoring has been augmented for this collection to bring grace and femininity through delicate details and feminine knitwear.