All big design houses invest money and manpower in vintage sourcing. The more zeroes devoted to it as a budget item, the more secretive they are about it. Not chez Margiela. Here, they're so transparent about the practice, they sew the provenance right into the label. "Replica" garments they call them, and they were among the house's key pieces for Resort. A shawl-collared jacket embroidered with holographic sequins had its genesis in a Prince of Wales check blazer from the seventies that they discovered in Rio de Janeiro, and a tuxedo took its cues from one made in the 1960's that they found in Buenos Aires.
Menswear-influenced tailoring formed the basis of the collection, as it often does, but they also injected a bit of structured flou, cutting silk georgette in an icy lavender shade into a squared-off tunic and matching cropped pants, and adding a pleated skirt panel to the front of a jumpsuit, turning it into a dress from the front but retaining the easy feeling of an all-in-one. The evening showstopper, a beaded plunge-front halter top, was another oldie but goodie; it was also a Rio find dating to the 1970's.
