The Maison Martin Margiela delivered the invitation for their Fall Winter 2010 show in an A4 white envelope. Inside, another envelope. Then another, and another – until one finally opened the smallest one to reveal the stamped details of the parade. Each envelope was a slightly different texture and tone of white – demonstrating one of the keystone motifs of the house in full swing, in the lead up to a show that proved to do the same. Margiela – back to basics and back on track.

Staged in the draughty hangars of the Halle Freyssinet in Paris, the red carpeted catwalk folded over itself in a zig-zag pattern, with chairs grouped around spotlights – creating a series of bright stages for the models to walk between, taking a minute to pose within each pool of light. Set to an industrial soundtrack of pulsing metal guitars, strings and crashing drums, the disjointed affair allowed for more than just seconds to take in each look, which was a refreshing lull from the pace of most shows. The only rush seemed to be in preparation, with each model’s lipstick artfully smeared across their faces.

The collection centred around several key themes that were reworked through a palette of black, white, nude and bright red. Traditional styles of jackets such as the perfecto, trench, tuxedo and peacoat were cut with an emphasized curve in the sleeve that tapered at the cuff, rounding out the shoulder in a distinctive circle. Trousers were offered in two conceptual variations – one style was a legging attached to a suiting trouser front, the other a wide legged style extended at the hips for a squared trompe l’oeil waistline.

Knitwear and tunics were sliced in the back, with high polo collars and loose long sleeves. The four white stitches were prominent, as were the shop boxes and white canvas shopping bags of the boutiques, worn as accessories in the show. A watch bracelet was enlarged and worn as a belt, and jewellery boxes also exaggerated as clutch bags. Fur made an appearance through the final looks, patched in black and tan across jackets and worn as a bizarre tent-like hooded cape.

There was a coherence to this fall presentation that left the audience content, pacified from the storm of last season’s brash styling by a classy rehash of many conceits that marked previous offerings. The word ‘FIN’ emblazoned upon the concrete floor at the end of the show was surely only to signify the end of the show, and certainly not to the house, which has returned with a formidable strength.

Riccardo Tisci wove a complex dichotomy of sportswear and luxury together for his Fall Winter 2010 collection for the house of Givenchy, exploring the realms of water and snow sports alongside minimalist tailoring and crystal embellishment. Underlying the collection was an intangibly precious and reverent feeling, with the North African influences of the season before surely surpassed by a return to Riccardo’s European roots.

Despite the splashes of colour and glint of diamonds, M/M Paris’s graphic sticker invitation for the show (below) gave little away of what we would witness from A#8’s curator this season.

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Held in the Lycée Carnot in the 17th arrondisement, the show was lit by circles of red heat lamps, with dark benches zig-zagging across the floor of the draughty stadium. Guests included many of Riccardo’s muses and friends – including Amanda Lear, Beth Ditto, Anna Piaggi and the odd addition of Little Britain’s David Walliams, engaged to model Lara Stone (who walked in the show).

Following some of the key elements that were interspersed through the SS10 haute couture collection, Riccardo worked his signature aggression coupled with a bold romance – sculpting a modern wardrobe that explored the house codes of Givenchy. A grosgrain ribbon tied at the neck of many outfits was a delicate reminder of the ultra-feminine. Givenchy makeup artist Pat McGrath created a ruby red glittering lip as a stunning and harmonious accompaniment to Riccardo’s garments, and a pale pink stain around the eyes gave the girls a vampiric intensity.

Each look walked a fine line between tethered restraint and a fluid freedom, however disparate the fabrics and colours may have been in the distinct sections of the show. This included the transformation of high-necklines with mesh and lace panelling, and the bound miniskirts and cropped trousers in neoprene unzipped at the waist like a deconstructed cummerbund. Tailoring was offered double breasted with a long, lean silhouette, a subtle A-line and tuxedo detailing.

Intricate ruffles, lace and pleating were reworked in vermillion red, sheer black and nude – contrasted with shiny leather outerwear that lent a new hardness directly from the menswear collection (with five mens looks shown for the first times with the womenswear).

Sleek body-hugging knitwear was rendered in navy, grass green and red jacquards, focused on circular motifs reminiscent of baroque architecture, layered with straps and gilets – updating the use of similar prints for SS10.

Eveningwear showed a redux of themes seen in the haute couture collections, albeit simplified for ready-to-wear. Breastplates were the focus for intricate detailing of lace and ruching, with a bolero shape encircling the bust. Dresses and drainpipe trousers were encrusted with crystal, as were exquisitely bejeweled gloves and clutches – pieces that seemed morphed into a single sparkling object, contrasting the sober tailoring and simplicity of little black dresses. Those same dresses continued the folded detailing of the skirts and trousers, with leather, velvet or satin triangular panels falling from the bust. The final looks revisited marabou and ostrich feathers, in sheer voile tops exploding with feathered fronts and trailing gossamer wings behind.

Leaving much to sink in, Fall Winter 2010 proposed many new ideas which will continue to inform Riccardo’s aesthetic – furthering his baroque and gothic leanings with a dose of well-timed Givenchy minimalism.

Show Details:

DECOR & PRODUCTION: La Mode en Images

MUSIC: Frédéric Sanchez

HAIR: Luigi Murenu

GIVENCHY MAKEUP: Pat McGrath

Above: Vogue Italy’s Anna Piaggi backstage after the show.

Above: The Gossip’s Beth Ditto congratulates Riccardo Tisci backstage after the show.

This season Haider wrote a new chapter in his elegant narrative of texture and shade – continuing the sleek, tight silhouette he has developed in the last several seasons, with a strict balance of comfort and restraint. The concept was built upon a winding, slow curve – at times rendered feminine and frilled in bunched sash belts, or sharp and slicing like arrows down jackets and around the neck.

Working in a muted palette of mocha, black and icy grey tones, the leather leggings and jackets of his signature uniform became a solid foundation for a collection of daring experimentation with laser-cut leather lace, mink and silk satin. He built up dramatic pointed collars that curled around the neck and extended down the torso, some tucking into wide zipped and buckled waistbelts. At the hips, flares of leather kicked out on the trim of jackets and gilets, to further define the hourglass figure, while cocoon coats did the opposite – shrouding the body in sinous wools that continued at times into form-fitting knitted hoods. Tailoring returned with a glamourous sheen, with a fuller cropped pant and open blazers that sliced across the bust.

Moments of quiet luxury permeated the show, with a subtle wedge of oiled ostrich peaking from the side of a suede waistcoat, the rolling folds of mink lining one example of the peplum collared jackets, and the showstopping finale, a leather-lace evening dress, shredded and trailing along the floor.

What Haider achieved was a truly chic display of the aggressive turned feminine and the reverse. The simple idea of leather as lace illustrated this, and the curves and corners of his shards of fabric wound magically around the body in a new organic way. As his stellar career continues to rise with international following and celebrity acclaim, we congratulate Haider on another incredible show.

Can’t teach an old dog new tricks? No, I suppose you can’t. But can he get better? Can he forget, then pick them up again? If the Yohji Yamamoto show last night was any indication, then the answer is yes.

Held in the 17th district of Paris in the Lycée Carnot, Yohji dropped a long black lighting rig low and long, to consolidate a cavernous space into a bright capsule in the cold. Black blankets sat on the seats to warm the guests, who journeyed somewhat far afield for the final show of the evening, after a day of long delays in the cold. The blankets, however, did little to warm the heart – a task amply achieved by Yohji himself, with a production that verged on the ceremonial, a soundtrack that tugged on the heartstrings, and a collection that proved he has what it takes to push through a difficult period in his brand’s history.

Always showing his strengths for tailoring and outerwear for fall, this season Yohji exercised a study in pleating, foregoing the aggressively distressed styling that overwhelmed at his last show. His signature felted and suiting wools were cut into wide box pleats that trimmed drop-waisted coats, snaked down asymmetrical bustier dresses, and fanned out in dramatic flared trousers.

Oversized menswear shirting came layered under overalls, worn as minidresses cut in an extended bib at the back. Black mesh punctuated several of the final looks, as a transparent lightness to counter thick kilts and military inspired shirt-dresses. Some coats featured raised seams, curving around the shoulders creating the subtle profile of a human face, as an unusual structural addition that was the true ‘Yohji’ twist to the more classic shapes. On foot, the girls wore slimline rubber boots with moulded shoelace details, and low elasticised brogues – continuing his minimal focus on footwear as a statement, and one of the few designers to show a flat shoe at all on the catwalk.

As for the colour palette of black, cream and navy, Yohji was certainly breaking no new ground. However this provided a sombre canvas for him to play with other elements of the show, such as the pointy plastic PROTOTYPE sunglasses in translucent cobalt blue, and the fine mist of powder pink or blue paint that added a mysterious pastel halo to the loosely braided and looped styles by Eugene Souleiman. Make-up artist Pat McGrath created a chalky white face with a harsh kohl eye, and her team painted the models’ arms and legs white also, to eerie effect.

The finale was an unconventional end to the show, as rather than a walk past of all the girls, Brazilian model Daiane Conterato re-entered the room alone – veiled in a mesh shroud and crowned with a miniature beaded coronet. Her coat cut in the front at the knee and continued in a long train. A black bride to close the show.

And as the deep baritone sang over the speakers “Old man river, just keeps rolling along”, Yohji did just that, in this beautiful continuation of his timeless story.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The perfume bottles themselves envisage a feminine, child-like kitsch, with a floral motif encircled by a golden wreath, framing the pink and yellow toned liquids. Limited edition bottles were decorated with a cream woolen cover embroidered with pearls and enrcusted with diamantes, as little extensions of the aesthetic of  the Grace dolls. The outer packagings bear the slogan “Grace of industry and luster of ashes.”

The scents, produced by Comme Des Garçons Fragrances, harbour an undeniable sweetness, both playing off each other with Jun Takahashi’s idea of the Mother Grace and the child Grace dolls who inspire the scents. ‘Holygrace’, the mother, is described as “along the lines of elegance, soap, freshness and poison (with notes of bergamot, ginger and pepper)”. ‘Holygrapie’, the child, is said to “reflect the smell of babies, kindness, sensuality and spice.”

The interior of the store was given a full UNDERCOVER treatment, utilising the video screens that dot the textured walls of the store to display the animated ‘Gilapple’, the film we first saw screened at their Pitti Immagine event last June. The digitally animated Grace dolls glide across cosmic gardens and loom over imagined cities, swishing their furry tails and blinking their flashlight faces as though on a constant search.

As a highlight of the evening, Jun Takahashi performed one of his rare doll-making sessions, creating a Grace doll in front of our very eyes, to the industrial musical accompaniment of Mr. Kan Takagi at the DJ booth. Surrounded by the abstract wooden archways within L’Eclaireur, the performance was far more intimate than the last one we witnessed in Florence last year.

Cutting up teddy bears, sewing and electrifying the doll with a bicycle lamp as the face, Jun (wearing grey) kept the audience amused for an hour long session, proving that to witness their creation is as thought-provoking and mystical as their final products.

In all, a wonderful event that surely touched upon the intimate yet magical world of UNDERCOVER – a mix of the scientific and the fantastical, the hard and soft, the violent and the peaceful.

“shade is short and miles away, tucked between the Chinati mountains and the Mexican border”

‘Land art’ is one of the most inspiring influences for Jack and Lazaro of Proenza Schouler, and the wide, arid expanses of Marfa in Texas is the perfect playground for their artistic fulfillment – with many of the large-scale environmental sculptures, silos and concrete structures that Donald Judd transformed in the 70’s still remaining.

In 2009 for A#9, photographer Josie Miner journeyed to Marfa to create her own body of work – exploring the industrial and agricultural relics that dot the landcape. The result of this trip is “8 Untitled Works”, a series that celebrates the journey she made, the stops along the way and the spectacular scenery she captured along the way.

Josie’s medium-format film photography offers beautiful mistakes and striking saturations of colour and light, causing desert horizons to glow and for images to be superimposed across each other.

Read her handwritten notes below each image, as she poetically annotates each picture.

“in the low, lonely horizontal blue desert plain of the Chihuahuan”

“as day dims, light is long.”

“bowing towards the horizon, the retiring sun sets the sky ablaze and the desert aglow.”

“a weightless, soft sensual glow : purple mountain silhouettes, capacious sky, undulating glass, amber cactus and concrete.”

“light and dark, land and sky and blue and melt.”

“the cool, quiet haze of dark generously gives way to starry desert night dreams.”

The garments of Proenza Schouler are a study of texture and proportion – subverting classics with unusual fabrications, traditional details in unexpected places, and a silhouette that accentuates the feminine form. All these elements come together in a colour palette that often challenges the eye – with a clash of dark and light, of pastel and primary colours, or simply tones that almost match, but just don’t.

For this shoot in A#9, photographer Craig McDean and stylist Karl Templer hit the ‘desaturate’ button, proving the strength of cut and the contrast of textures within Proenza Schouler’s Fall Winter 09 collection  - the integrity remaining even once the depth of those vivid colours is stripped away.

Five of the sharpest faces of the season were chosen by the pair, with a global mix of girls: Belgian veteran Hannelore Knuts, Ukrainian Alla Kostromicheva and American Jamie Bochert all at Women agency; Russian newcomer Ranya Mordanova and Canadian Meghan Collison at Supreme; and American tattooed beauty Renee Dorski at Elite.

The  clean, polished aesthetic of the pieces and Craig’s crisp ‘film noir’ effect is supported by the dark eyes and accentuated cheekbone shading by Mark Carasquillo, and the girls’ hair rendered dark, straight and lustrous by the masterful Orlando Pita.

The pure white backdrop perfectly showcases the subtleties of Karl’s layering and intelligent styling of the looks – with a chic balance between alluring minidresses and pencil skirts with loose cocoon coats, slimline jackets and cinched waists, the hardness of biker leather and zip details playing off the delicate lingerie detailing on bustlines, and skin-tight high collars shown next to loose evening coats. Several looks are also accentuated with hard, geometric costume jewellery from the likes of Camilla Dietz Bergeron and Erickson Beamon.

In essence ‘Style Noir’ captures the dark side of Proenza Schouler in both a literal and more figurative sense, not simply shooting their collection in black and white for a different impact (as one could do with any clothing) but rather accentuating the darker, sexually-charged aspects of their collection in a chic, modern way.

A BLOG presents the online release of A MAGAZINE curated by Proenza Schouler.

A fast-forward step from last month’s online release of A#1, we proudly announce that A#9 is the final step in our very first online project, beginning the ever-expanding archives of the A World.

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Proenza Schouler are Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez, a New York-based design duo who took their mothers’ maiden names to name their label after graduating Parsons School of Design in 2002. Barneys bought their graduate collection in its entirety, beginning their stellar rise to the top of the New York circuit. They have since won the CFDA Perry Ellis Award for new talent in 2003, the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in 2007, and the CFDA Accessory designer of the year award 2009.

Their womenswear designs offer a fresh and feminine vision in elegant, directional styles that range through tailored sportswear to layered cocktail and eveningwear. Exacting a modern, clean aesthetic with technical fabrics and an expert use of muted colours with bold highlights, Proenza Schouler take abstract inspirations from a wide array of modern art references, from the large-scale land art of Donald Judd’s Marfa, Texas to the Pop Art movement. Their muses include the actress and fashion icon Chloë Sevigny, who appears on the cover of the magazine, starry-eyed in a soft and alluring image by Richard Burbridge.

Throughout the month of March and beyond, A BLOG explores Proenza Schouler’s ‘Made in the USA’ issue – a landmark for Jack and Lazaro as the first American designers to make an A. Their research for the magazine took the boys in unexpected and exciting directions, from roadtripping across the United States to discover Donald Judd’s Texas artist collective, to chatting with the legendary Bruce Weber in a candid interview with Derek Blasberg, and offering their archives to an assortment of prestigious photographers and stylists to reinterpret for A#9. This magazine is not only an eye-opener for readers, but for its two curators also.

Please click here to see A#9 online at WWW.AMAGAZINECURATEDBY.COM, the final title in this archive series. A#1 by Maison Martin Margiela, A#2 by Yohji Yamamoto, A#3 by Haider Ackermann, A#4 by Jun Takahashi, A#5 by Martine Sitbon, A#6 by Veronique Branquinho, A#7 by Kris Van Assche and A#8 by Riccardo Tisci are also all available to view online now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The German fashion designer Lutz Huelle first discovered the work of Martin Margiela in i-D, when a photo of a ballgown worn with ripped denim jeans caught his eye. After completing his studies at Central St Martins in London, he presented his own design work to the house, and joined their team in 1995. Lutz specialised in knitwear and the artisanal line at Margiela, and is responsible for the print of the iconic AIDS charity tshirt from the house.  In 2000 he launched his eponymous label LUTZ.

For A#1, Lutz’s business partner David Ballu photographed a candid series of fashion images, featuring LUTZ archive pieces from various seasons. One of the models was Dorothée Perret, appearing in a pair of earrings made from live roses and a pink wrapped silk skirt. Formerly at Purple and now the editor and creative director of Paris, LA magazine, Dorothée has shared a long history with Lutz and the Maison Martin Margiela. Please read below as she addresses her thoughts and memories of the shoot in a personal letter to Lutz, exclusively for A BLOG.

Many thanks to Dorothée for her contribution.

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“Dear Lutz,

I remember, I was starting to work at Purple, it was the year 2004, and you called me, asking me if I wanted to model for you, wearing your clothes for a magazine called the “A magazine” curated by Maison Martin Margiela. At that time I’d never heard of the A magazine, (I only vaguely recalled the B magazine curated by Bernard Willhelm years before). Anyway I was confident, after all you were the one who introduced me first to Purple Prose, back in the 90s. How could I refuse your invitation? Even if modelling was never my thing, I was happy to support your project, and to revisit my relation to Martin through you.

I remember, I was studying fashion at Studio Berçot, it was the year 1992, when I encountered Martin, the man, for the first time. Martin Margiela, the house, was looking for non-professional models for the shows. Even though I didn’t know much about him and his work, I was aware of the cult following around him. Being not even twenty, and completely inexperienced in the modeling field made me feel quite vulnerable, and I like to think that’s why he chose me. All the girls modelling for Martin at that time carried a distinctive and personal way of being. Some were art or philosophy students, some were musicians in a band, others were just the ultimate awesome models in the industry, like Kirsten Owen. When we were backstage killing time before the shows, all the girls were talking to each other, exchanging their latest experiences in life. It was awesome, like a community of friends gathering every six months. This time of my life partly built me, and made me who I am today. Finally modeling for Martin was the only time I felt good with the idea of being a model, not to say that for you it wasn’t enjoyable.

It’s funny because I always see you as the spiritual son of Martin. You have a similar vision of woman, although I would guess yours is softer, and gentler. Your approach on the cut, so singular, and quite well thought-out, entertains as well an intelligent language around the clothes.

I remember, I was happy to come to your place to work on the photo session. Ten years after the Margiela years, and it was a very different time of my life. I was on my own, a single mother trying to rebuild herself. Spending the afternoon with you chating felt so warm, and truly friendly, a little reminder to the Margiela years. You were kind, and sweet, showing me your selection of clothes. I tried it all, and together we finally decided for the pink pleated skirt worn around the neck, accompanied by a pair of real rose earrings. I still recall the pain of the spines against my skin but the idea of real roses was so beautiful, and romantic that I couldn’t complain. At the end, it felt like the right choice and I loved so much the clothes I was wearing. It was one of my favorite collections, a lot of redish and pinkish garments twisted around the body, and some awesome fringed dresses too. I felt so good.”

It seems there are some infallible forces working behind the scenes of the Maison Martin Margiela – strong individuals who not only support the Margiela aesthetic, but who each add their own taste and perspective to the creative pool of thought. This is of course a dynamic team – people come and people go, but their influence remains to be developed and enriched by those who succeed them.
Paul Helbers and Ola Rindal both fall under this banner, as a designer and a photographer who carry the flag for Margiela with gusto and an original flair.

For A#1, the pair devised the shoot “Layers”, exploring everyday fashion objects as a cross-section, with a boot, a suit, a leather bag and a wallet dissected to reveal their inner components, their contents and the various layers of fabrics usually hidden from common view. Shot against blue sky and green grasses, the  neutral coloured objects seem suspended in mid-flight, almost like the skeletons of the whole objects – not entirely present, but an abstract representative of each object and a strong example of the deconstructed concept of Margiela clothing and products.