Photo: Luca Tombolini / Indigital.tv
If there’s anyone who knows about gender-fluidity, it’s John Galliano. This season, he touched upon this exciting idea with his latest Artisanal collection for Maison Martin Margiela. “It’s the highest form of dressmaking, but for men . . . I hope it’s going to define a new sensuality, a new sexuality.” he once shared in a podcast. His approach to Margiela is distinctly different from the other houses he headed in previous years, and it clearly showed in his Spring 2019 Menswear show for the label. Here, the new sensuality he mentioned was the harmonic combination of masculine and feminine tropes without having to go through overused routes. For one thing, the tailoring here is immaculate, with jackets and suits cut so precisely and sharply that they can’t help but bring about distinguished forms. But where was the femininity? It was in the floral motifs that decorated the suits, the chiffon and marabou feather-trimmed overlays, and the latex tights, among other things. Classically feminine, they subtly added a sense of delicate flamboyance against the more rigid pieces. It’s also a whole lot better than the men-wearing-dresses gimmick other designers are getting into! If there’s still any doubt that Galliano never lost his genius touch and creative eye for design, let this collection prove to you otherwise!
