Artisanal

By now you know how much I like clothes. And I don't mean just the ones I can wear. I like clothes because of what they are: an artistic expression from a creative mind. And I think one of the most creative minds in fashion is that of Galliano. Yeah, Galliano, who fell from grace in 2011 after he launched an alleged anti-semitic tirade against somebody and Dior kicked him to the curb. And everybody thought he was done. The fork was brought.

Not really surprisingly (because bitch is fierce), he's found a home at Maison Margiela, which IMHO produces some of the most beautifully impossible collections every year (as you can see in these two videos). For me, they are up there with Thom Browne, who also pushes all kinds of boundaries when designing. But where Browne is millimetric in precision, Galliano is complete deconstruction. It's like looking at your Id and your Ego battle. And that’s what makes their approach to fashion fun.

Galliano has also brought to Maison Margiela that co-ed vibe that has found a home in so many other fashion houses. He's always played with gender as well as with deconstructing garments until they seem to be unfinished, but I think he's gone a step further with that. He sends both boys and girls down the runway without really overthinking what they wear and without letting their apparent gender dictate what they wear. His confections are, to tell you the truth, fantastic. Many people may find them gimmicky -because they are very deconstructed- but I think they are out fo this world. It’s more an ode to thrifting and upcycling than to luxe, while still being couture. And I find that tone absolutely cool.

I wish I could own one of those pieces, if only for the satisfaction of owning something so unique. Sometimes fashion shows are confused with pret-a-porter. I don't think most collections are very wearable, and many are not meant to be worn off the runway but to launch trends, as I've pointed out before. They consist -from my point of view- of some metaphysical dream board that most designers pin on a runway to let us see their creative process. It's not Project Runway (btw, Bob's takes on PR are fantastic) or Next in Fashion. It's Fashion as concept.

So yeah, now that I am cooped up thanks to COVID-19 and working from home, where wearing athleisure is perfectly acceptable (I go online and they only see head and shoulders, after all) I have taken to youtube to do some self-care in the form of looking at pretty things that I will never wear. Because that's what you do during a pandemic, of course. And so, what are YOU wearing today?

XOXO