Maison Margiela's Spring - Summer 2021 ‘Co-ed’ Collection

The connectivity of interdependence becomes revalued in times of separation. The reliance of one person upon another, it is a vital pas de deux activated by instinct and trust. For the Spring-Summer 2021 ‘Co-Ed’ Collection, Maison Margiela interprets this concord through the tango. Vigorous and intense, the dance is cathartic: releasing the spirit of the old, it inspires the lust to move on. It compels acceptance; it heralds new beginnings; it beckons change. In the second and final instalment of S.W.A.L.K. – the filmic project first launched for haute couture – creative director John Galliano demonstrates how techniques developed in the Artisanal collection are artistically industrialized for ready-to-wear.

Observing the valour of the tango, heroic cutting is expressed in chivalrous tailoring silhouettes founded in the idea of anonymity of the lining. Formal jackets are slashed open and imbued with dancing frills bursting out from within their layers. Muslin and tulle dresses created with circular cutting evoke the effect of wet look, a technique reminiscent of wet-drapery, further evolved into knitwear and interpreted in illusionary motifs on tailoring. Prints with a purpose created in the image of humble tape – derived from Artisanal embroideries – invoke movement. Jackets constructed in a millefeuille of fabrics carry the trace of time of their layers.

The idea of storied garments reflects an old soul echoed in poverino pieces spliced from several repurposed components such as a jumper, a shirt and a vest into one single piece, their layers cut away to reveal the garment’s structure. Along with selected bags and shoes, it is created under the Maison Margiela label of Recicla: genuine vintage finds, restored and re-appropriated as limited-edition garments or accessories, and sold in the house’s own stores. Like the cathartic process of the tango, cutting through the folds of lived-in garments is an emancipating practice: it liberates the energy of the old and reinvigorates the cloth.

Through the sense of community, family values and generational exchange central to the culture of tango, the film – brought to life by image-maker Nick Knight – illuminates the ecosystem of Maison Margiela. Portraying the house’s redefined numeral lines through the identification numbers worn in competitive tango, the newness or permanence of designs are indicated. Every garment and accessory find their technical provenance in line 0 (the Artisanal collection), while genderless pieces developed for the ‘Co-Ed’ Collection – a blank label within the numeral system – can become perennial fixtures within lines 4 (Iconics for Women) and 14 (Iconics for Men). It is, above all, an expression of continuity, longevity and synergy.

Materials

Voilage dresses with wet look effects appear in the translucent materials of tulle and muslin. Tailoring is created in the authentic fabrics of menswear, from wools to flannels and herringbone. Millefeuille jackets are layered with wadding, organza, butter muslin, and tulle. Evening dresses are constructed in velvet and plume, while tape prints with a purpose feature on tulle. Recicla pieces – genuine vintage finds – such as poverino garments appear in their original fabrication.

Technique

Developed in the Artisanal collection, techniques are aristically industrialised and evolved through the creative pyramid of Maison Margiela. The effect of wet look – a nod to the wet-drapery of neoclassical veiled marble sculpture – appears in voilage dresses created through circular cutting, which also features in knitwear. The technique disrupts the draping of a garment through several circular panels, evoking a shadow play that generates the desired illusion. Wet look is further explored in prints on tailoring, which achieve a similar idea of wetness. Heroic cutting is a form of decortiqué through which a tailored jacket is hacked up to reveal the anonymity of the lining and conjure a chivalrous silhouette. A similar technique is employed to slash open tailored pieces and imbue them with dancing frills, inducing a notion of movement. Millefeuille jackets are translucent tailored pieces composed of several different materials, from muslin to wadding, for an aged effect. Lace tops are patchworked from multiple lace types, while satin skirts are cut on the bias. Poverino describes pieces created from several vintage finds, spliced and cut open to reveal the layers of their new construction. Like other garments and accessories in the collection, they are created under the Recicla label denoting the upcycling of authentic vintage finds through restorative and transformative processes.

Palette

The collection is conveyed through the traditional colours of tango: black, red, white and grey. The palette of the classic gentleman’s wardrobe is expressed in the dark colours of pinstriped tailoring, in the muted shades of heritage knitwear, and the delicate cream of formalwear.

Accessories

Informed by the visual universe of tango, the collection features Recicla beaded evening bags from the 1960s, as well as raffias and straw bags. Handpicked vintage items, Recicla pieces have been restored and labelled along with a number of other bags, which will be made available in the stores of Maison Margiela. The Snatched bag appears in shiny black leather. Traditional tango shoes create a point of departure for the Hyperion Mary-Janes, a genderless pointy flat, which features in calfskin, velvet, and a red Recicla edition in soprarizzo hand-made velvet. Similarly, the Hyperion Ankle Strap is a pointy flat created in brocade. The Tango Pump kitten heel manifests in leather, suede and brocade, as well as in Recicla editions in broccatello and soprarizzo. The Tabi is interpreted in clear material as pumps and derbies. A nod to dance, they reveal the chiffon ghillies, which appear throughout the collection.

• Look 1A - Left
  

Black transparent mille-feuille caban worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi Mary-Janes.

• Look 1B - Right
  

Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut caban with wet look lining worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi Mary-Janes.

• Look 2
  

Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut coat. Black chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi derbies.

• Look 3
  

Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut coat with wet look lining worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi Mary-Janes.

• Look 4
  

Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut coat with wet look lining worn with black herringbone linen trousers. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi derbies.

• Look 5
  

White transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut jacket with wet look lining worn with black herringbone linen trousers. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi derbies.

• Look 6
  

Look 5 from the back. White transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut jacket with wet look lining worn with black herringbone linen trousers. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi derbies.

• Look 7
  

White transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut trench coat with wet look lining. Black chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi derbies.

• Look 8
  

White mille-feuille and heroic cut jacket worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi Mary-Janes.

• Look 9
  

Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut jacket with wet look lining worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi Mary-Janes.

• Look 10
  

Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut jacket with wet look lining worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi Mary-Janes.

• Look 11
  

White transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut caban with wet look lining worn with black herringbone linen trousers. Red chiffon ghillies and clear Tabi derbies.

• Look 12A - Left
  

Look 1B from the back. Black transparent mille-feuille and heroic cut caban with wet look lining worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies, clear Tabi Mary-Janes and Recicla bag.

• Look 12B - Right
  

Look 1A from the back. Black transparent mille-feuille caban worn with a black satin bias-cut skirt. Red chiffon ghillies, clear Tabi Mary-Janes and Recicla bag

• Look 13A - Foreground
  

Recicla poverino camel top worn with a brown pinstripe wool slashed zoot trouser. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 13A - Background
  

White fishnet tank top. Brown leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 14
  

Grey heroic cut trench coat with wet look detailing worn over a white fishnet tank top and grey pinstripe wool slashed trousers. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 15
  

Grey pinstripe wool double-breasted suit jacket with wet look detailing and a slashed trouser, worn with a red fishnet tank top. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 16
  

Charcoal and red pinstripe double breasted suit jacket with wet look detailing and a slashed trouser worn over a white fishnet tank top. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 17
  

Recicla poverino camel top worn with a brown pinstripe wool slashed zoot trouser. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 18
  

Red silk circular cut dress with black tape print with a purpose. Cream chiffon ghillies, white leather double-strap Tango pumps, and a black beaded Reclica bag.

• Look 19
  

Cream stretch-tulle circular cut dress with red tape print with a purpose and cream plumed trims worn over a black stretch-tulle circular cut dress with black tape print with a purpose. Cream chiffon ghillies and black leather Tango pumps.

• Look 20
  

Red tulle dress with velvet sleeves worn over a black silk underdress. Cream chiffon ghillies and white leather Tango pumps.

• Look 21
  

Recicla poverino burgundy top worn with grey pinstripe wool slashed trousers. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 22
  

Brown pinstripe flannel double-breasted suit with wet look detailing and a slashed trouser worn over a white knitted polo t-shirt and a white fishnet tank top. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 23A - Foreground
  

Black stretch-tulle circular cut dress with red tape print with a purpose and farmed plumed trims, worn over a cream stretch-tulle circular cut underdress with a black tape print with a purpose. Grey chiffon ghillies, cream Tango pumps, and a black beaded Recicla bag.

• Look 23A - Background
  

Red fishnet tank top . Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 24
  

Charcoal knitted twisted jumper worn with a black silk bias-cut skirt. Cream chiffon ghillies and red leather Tango pumps.

• Look 25A - Front
  

Grey knitted twisted jumper worn with a red silk bias-cut skirt. Cream chiffon ghillies and black leather Tango pumps.

• Look 25B - Back
  

White fishnet tank top worn with a charcoal and red pinstripe wool slashed trousers. Brown leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 26
  

Navy knit circular cut jumper worn with a cream tulle skirt with black tape print with a purpose and black farmed plumed trims, and cream knitted knickers. Cream chiffon ghillies and white leather Tango pumps.

• Look 27
  

Replica grey wool coat with a cut hemline worn over a brown pinstripe flannel double-breasted suit with wet look detailing and a slashed trouser, a white knitted polo t-shirt and a white fishnet tank top. Black leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 28
  

Group picture.
Standing from left to right : Look 39, Look 37, Look 35, Look 30, Look 31, Look 33.
Sitting from Left to right : Look 36A, Look 36B, Look 29, Look 32, Look 34.

• Look 29
  

White stretch-tulle circular cut dress with farmed plumed trims worn over a white muslin circular cut long-sleeved dress. White chiffon ghillies and white painted leather Tango pumps.

• Look 30
  

Ecru wool double-breasted tuxedo with silk duchesse lapels worn over a white tuxedo shirt. White painted leather Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 31
  

Black linen coat with frill cutting revealing green changeant lining and wet look detailing, worn over a black wool mohair tuxedo with duchesse lapels and a grey band-collared shirt. Black velvet Hyperion ankle-strap shoes.

• Look 32
  

Black stretch-tulle circular cut dress with farmed plumed trims worn over a circular cut dress composed of black stretch-tulle with black farmed plumed trims, grey stretch-polyester and white stretch-silk. Grey chiffon ghillies, black leather Tango pumps, and Recicla wicker bag.

• Look 33
  

Camel wool overcoat with frill cuts revealing the lining, worn over a burgundy and black pinstripe wool mohair suit with inserted frills and a white shirt. Red brocade Tango pumps.

• Look 34
  

Red wool crêpe heroic cut dress with black tulle point d’esprit lining. Red chiffon ghillies, black leather Tango pumps, and a red raffia Recicla bag.

• Look 35
  

Grey herringbone wool heroic cut jacket worn over a Recicla lace top and black chalk-stripe flannel trousers. Red velvet Reclica Hyperion Mary-Janes.

• Look 36A - Left
  

Grey flannel herringbone dress with wet look detailing. Red chiffon ghillies and red velvet Recicla Tango pumps.

• Look 36B - Right
  

Grey flannel day dress with a sweetheart neckline in black tulle point d’esprit. Red chiffon ghillies and red brocade Tango pumps.

• Look 37
  

Grey Prince of Wales overcoat with frill cuts revealing the lining, worn over a charcoal herringbone flannel suit with inserted frills and a white silk shirt. Red brocade Tango pumps.

• Look 38
  

Burgundy and black pinstripe wool mohair suit with frill cuts and a white shirt.
Black brocade Tango pumps.

• Look 39
  

Black silk circular cut dress with bijou detailing and black farmed plumed trims. Black Snatched bag and red velvet Recicla Tango pumps.

• Look 40A - Left
  

Red tulle veil with a red plumed trim worn over a red tulle circular cut dress. Red chiffon ghillies and red suede Recicla Tango pumps.

• Look 40B - Right
  

Red tulle circular cut top worn with a red tulle circular cut skirt and a red tulle veil with a plumed trim. Red chiffon ghillies and red suede Tango pumps.

• Look 41
  

Charcoal herringbone flannel suit with inserted frills and a white silk shirt. Red brocade Tango pumps.