For better or worse—and we'd lean toward the former—Maison Martin Margiela's Premiere collections (that is to say, interseason) tend to lack the conceptual calisthenics that made Margiela's own collections so legendary in the world of fashion (and that occasionally send the post-Margiela MMM ones into the weeds). That's a complicated way of saying: Like most Resort offerings, this label's tend to be commercial, customer-friendly, and approachable. No complaints. Premiere may give the house a chance to offer its spin on reigning trends, but it'll never be dull. Here, as elsewhere, maxi-length skirts and dresses dominated. But the Maison's only look like skirts. In fact, several were silk pants with hugely wide legs. On top of that, they were almost fully sheer.
Other recent runway trends got their outings, too. Color blocking, fringe, sportswear, and studs—mainstays of the past few seasons all—were in evidence. Each got a MMM tweak. The studs shown weren't punky; flattened and scattered in varying densities, over dresses, jackets, and accessories, they had a gentler, almost starry quality. Silk viscose fringe was slightly seventies, but in hairy, multicolored, and occasionally detachable tufts dangling from jacket lapels and dress tops, they were odd, not familiar.
All this is not to say there weren't some purely Margielan items. The theme of the collection—well, one of four or five concurrent themes, explain the label's lab-coated interpreters—are circles, and their occasional transposition into squares. Some of those large skirts, fanned flat, made up 360 degrees. Other pieces, like a tank dress with a faux-leather top, fit a part-circle skirt to a squared-off yoke. Square peg, round hole is the proverbial unsolvable. Where else but the Maison would you find the terms reversed—and problem solved?
