Maison Martin Margiela Haute Couture S/S12

As usual, the couture collection from the white blouse house focused on reclaiming unwanted materials. Yet this time, much of the look operated a form of ‘double-recycling’; dresses, tops and skirts were composed of segments of parachutes from the turn on the previous century, which had then been used by soldiers to embroider words like ‘home’ and ‘mother’ to send to their families far away. Those suddenly became sleeveless blouses, flamenco-like skirts, or stylish aprons.

As for the rest of the collection, most the garments were made, at least partially, out of recuperated 19th and early 20th century fabrics – including a pantsuit worn with a cotton gabardine and mother of pearl buttons, mostly sourced from an old factory in Portsmouth, or lambskin, caps, and a wire coat. There was also a touch of the 70s, such as hemp and macramé bags from San Francisco. Ironically, some of the items – the aprons or chic hippie bags— were brought back closer to their original purpose (while some had never been further from it).