John Galliano s Fall ready-to-wear collection will be remembered for "the characters" that variously stormed or slunk down the Grand Palais runway. The label may say "Maison Margiela," but they were distinctively a Galliano touch. Absent that gaggle of models with their Pat McGrath maquillage, the Resort clothes themselves had to do the talking. To study them in the brand s New York offices was to see the ways that Galliano has indeed absorbed the Margiela codes. Of course, they re distinctive enough in their own way; the brand has thrived for years in its post-Martin Margiela incarnation for that very reason.
A trench with an oversize belt had a nice swagger, with an elongated yet slouched-on fit that felt fresher than a pair of dégradé jacquard pantsuits. Knits were a highlight, from the ripped-hem ease of a pullover to the needle-punched cling of a tiny cardigan. And, no surprise, there were several winners among the evening looks, with the best of the bunch being a cocktail dress made from double-faced sequins that will have everybody at the party reaching out for a fondle.
But Galliano is too gifted a designer to act only as a conduit for ideas first aired by someone else a decade or more ago. What will make the Galliano era at this label truly interesting is if, when, and how he decides to inject something new into the Margiela formula. A lookbook that starred a male and female model in his women s clothes hinted that he has provocations of his own in mind for the future, although he s certainly not the first to dabble in gender-bending fashion imagery lately. Other than that, his second couture collection for the brand is in just over two weeks.
