Finally the media stopped talking about Maison Martin Margiela for H&M collection. The web has been flooded with articles and posts about the mysterious designer who is (should be) behind Maison Martin Margiela brand. Honestly I got bored of reading superficial and confused words about it, so I’ve decided to re-build the unique career of that talented Belgian boy named Martin Margiela, who became one of the most important designers of the last 25 years. Martin Margiela – portrait 1997 As in the best stories about fashion designers, Martin Margiela’s peculiar talent bloomed during the training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (1977-1980). He had the chance to attend the Fashion department in the same years of the “Antwerp Six“, a group of designers (graduate between 1980 and 1981) that captured the attention of the international press breaking into the London Fashion Week in 1988. Actually Margiela is generally considered as the seventh symbolic member, despite he wasn’t physically part of the group set up by Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee. Their styles were similar and were inspired by the designer Rei Kawakubo (founder of the brand Comme des Garçons) which influenced the Japanese fashion of the 70s with asymmetric cuts and black and white collections. The “Antwerp Six” group: (from left) Marina Yee, Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dirk Van Saene – London Fashion Week 1988 After working as freelance stylist and then as assistant of Jean Paul Gaultier (1985-87), Martin Margiela debuted in the summer of 1988 at the Café de la Gare in Paris with the first Maison Martin Margiela womenswear collection for Spring Summer 1989. He presented a show bordering with performing art, where models bathed in red paint paraded with covered faces on a white cotton catwalk. It was a shocking show, but the de-construction and re-construction of vintage items such as a butcher’s apron turned into evening gown, jackets made from an old tulle dress and the split toe Tabi boots with cylindrical heels inspired by the traditional Japanese socks, became early legends. S/S 1989 Women’s show – (Photo: Raf Coolen – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1989 – silk tattoo top; Tabi boots (Photo – Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1989 – First jacket with round shoulders (Photo: mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) In the audience could not miss his mentor Jean Paul Gaultier. The red paint stained cloth used as catwalk for the first show, was re-used six month later as fabric for the waistcoats of the Fall Winter 1989/1990 collection. The use of second-hand clothes and imperfect fabrics was a blatant act of rebellion against the widespread consumerism and consecrated Margiela as a conceptual designer, conflicting with the conformist fashion of the 80s, just as the hippies had done twenty years before, buying their dressed only at flea markets. A/W 1989 – Explanatory sketch for an outfit and vest made from the red paint-stained cotton of the S/S 1989 catwalk – (Photo: mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 1989 – Porcelain vest (it reminds me something you should know) – (Photo:MoMu) Margiela was fascinated by the idea of giving a second life to vintage clothes remodeling them thanks to his tailoring skills. He felt quite offended when journalists called him “de-constructive“, because his fashion didn’t have a destructive or negative value, rather it was linked to the concept of rebirth. He liked challenging the dresses’ wearability by playing with the proportions; showing inner linings and frayed hems; or using the inner side of the fabric on the outside of the garments. His personal way of making fashion was ahead of the time and soon all the eyes were on his collections and sartorial details, which later were re-proposed by other designers, turning them into commercial fashion trends. S/S 1990 – Children at schools near the Maison were enlisted to create the invitations. (Photo: mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1990 – Backstage – (Photo: Raf Coolen – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1990 – A 200% enlarged tank top, crushed under a skintight invisible net t-shirt, becoming a long draped dress. (Photo: Tatsuya Kitayama – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 1990 – S/S 1991 (Photo: Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 1991 – (Photo: Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) The Spring Summer 1992 show in Saint-Martin metro station. The station had been out of use since 1939. 1600 candles illuminated the tree main stairwells. (Photo: mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1992 – Textile motifs were painted onto the women’s skin. Colors were applied on the women’s fingertips. Each woman had a rhinestone at the inner corner of each eye. (Photo: Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1992 – Garments were made from vintage square scarves. (Photo: Barbara Katz – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 1992 – (Photo: Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1993 – Backstage (Photo: Tatsuya Kitayama – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 1993 – Inverted jacquard knit sweater (Photo: mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1994 – “Retrospective collection”: Iconic looks from 1989 to 1993 showed again in an ex-supermarket with a production of hand-painted jeans from the artisanal line. On models’ necks were painted the names of the season they wore. (Photo: Anders Edström, Tatsuya Kitayama – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 1994 – The collections were shown simultaneously in six cities (Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Milan, and Bonn) when they were delivered to the stores, replacing the traditional Paris fashion show. (Photo: Nick Tupin – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela, Marina Faust – cotonblanc) A/W 1994 – Elements of a doll’s wardrobe were enlarged 5.2 times to human scale. Disproportionate aspects of the doll’s pieces were retained in the up-scaled outfits, for example in the buttons and zips. (Photo: Anders Edström – cotonblanc, mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1995 – Backstage (Photo: Stopdropandvogue, sombreboite) A/W 1995 – Shown in a circus tent in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. Model faces were covered with a black muslin veil. During the finale, the women removed their veils and carried fuchsia balloons. (Photo: Marina Faust, Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1996 – Photographs of garments were printed on light and fluid fabrics. Then made up into garments of very simple construction. Topless black Tabi sandals were worn with shipping tape repeatedly wrapped around the sole and foot. (Photo: Guy Voet, Anders Edström – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela, cotonblanc) A/W 1996 – A brown mask was painted on the upper part of the women’s faces as well as their teeth were painted a shiny white. (Photo: Anders Edström, Marina Faust, Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1997 – An unfinished fabric transformed into a dress with an irregular hemline. (Photo: Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 1997 – jacket – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela A/W 1997 S/S 1998 A/W 1998 – Photo: Mark Borthwick – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela In the mid of the 90s a particular trend hits the top of the most important European fashion houses: it’s time to change the creative directors focusing on new talented designers. In those years, unthinkable matches bring fresh air in the dusty fashion system: Tom Ford changes the concept of luxury at Gucci, making it a sexy and bold; Marc Jacobs begins the long liaison with Louis Vuitton; the hooligan of fashion Alexander McQueen upsets Givenchy poetics; the bizarre and excessive John Galliano is the new interpreter of Christian Dior and finally Martin Margiela from Autumn-Winter 1998/99 until 2003 becomes the new Hermès creative director. This last particular pair, initially ridiculed by the press, gives Margiela a chance to deal with the long tradition of craftsmanship of the French house, experiencing the construction of garments with minimalistic shapes, playing with the lightness of the best high quality materials. Hermès by Martin Margiela – A/W 1998 – A/W 2002 – A/W 2003 – S/S 2003 The new position as creative director at Hermès doesn’t prevent him from carrying out the evolution of MMM: after ten years devoted to the womenswear, Martin Margiela launches the male line in 1998 with the Spring Summer 1999 collection. S/S 1999 – Debut of the first men’s collection: Oversize G.I.Joe tag; Vintage shoes painted; Dark suit (Photo: Marina Faust, Ronald Stoops – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) The niche success reached in the 90s by the brand Maison Martin Margiela is a testimony of how luxury customers were not all slaves to the logos or to the celebrity fashion designers. In fact, from the very beginning, Margiela marketing strategy was based on the cult of “impersonality” (the lack of a designer to cheer) and invisibility, so that the only portraits of Martin Margiela are the few photos taken during stolen moments in the backstage of the fashion shows. This philosophy was in sharp contrast with the world of appearance and, thanks to a sort of ironic and pungent snobbery, it ennobled fashion to the level of art, freeing it from the laws of mass market. Just think that MMM boutiques aren’t registered in the telephone directories and don’t have signs. The staff uniforms in the shops and in the offices are white lab coat; all the shops are characterized by white color, as well as the packaging is anonymous and without logo. Similar devices characterize even the fashion shows: models often have covered face or eyes; the locations are dirty, decaying or abandoned places, in stark contrast to the usual luxury places; there’s no hierarchies for the seats, following the first-come, first-served rule; the interviews are exclusively released by fax using the first plural person to emphasize the sense of collaboration, not focusing on the individual designer, but on the whole Maison Martin Margiela team. A/W 1999 – Video presentation. Feather duvets covered with vintage bed linen were worn as coats, waistcoats or wraps. The covers were also meant to be worn as dresses without the duvet inside. Funny details: knee-high wool socks were worn over shoes. S/S 2000 – fitting picture; Chloë Sevigny on Purple Magazine wearing men’s oversized garments (Photo: Mark Borthwick – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2000 – Oversized collection. Garments were molded to an Italian size 78 dress form. (Photo: Michael Thompson – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2001 – Photo: cotonblanc A/W 2001 – Women’s show. The cellar of the Alexander III bridge was arranged in a series of little squares with beaded curtains. Model and assistant running in the “backstage”. (Photo: cotonblanc) S/S 2002 – White leather jacket with plain applique logos (Photo: Guy Voet – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2002 – Vintage jeans reworked into classic trousers. The belt and front pockets were transformed, the back pockets removed and classic pockets with flaps were constructed. ( Photo: Jacques Habbah – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) In 2002 the entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, owner of Diesel brand, buys MMM bringing a series of changes for the label. Despite the collections go on season by season, rumor has it that there is no longer Martin Margiela at the helm of the brand because of the dissenting views on marketing strategies introduced by the new owner. S/S 2003 – Mask make up; Silver film applied to a vintage slip (Photo: Ian R. WebbSilver, View on Colour – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2003 – The models were illuminated by two men bearing panels of six strip-lights. (Photo: mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2004 – Photo: Horst Diekgerdes, Ola Rindal – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela A/W 2004 – Men’s presentation (Photo: Jacques Habbah, Sybille Walter Samuel Drira – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2005 – (Photo: Jacques Habbah – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2005 – Since 2003 were introduced garments named ‘Replica’, reproductions of archetypal second-hand garments from different style periods. This is the Reproduction of a doctor’s coat from the 1920s. Provenance: France. (Photo: Marina Faust – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2005 – Trench evoking the look of someone sheltering from the rain underneath the coat, collar endings at tip of the head. The neck and shoulder lines were elongated so the coat could be worn as a hood. When not worn up, the coat’s collar envelops the shoulders. (Photo: Marion Poussier – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2005 – item from the Artisanal Production, the reworking of men’s and women’s vintage garments, fabrics and accessories. Three vintage wedding dresses were assembled and sewn onto a brassiere, creating a unique ball gown made of different fabrics. (Photo: Marina Faust – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2006 – Maison Martin Margiela “Artisanal” Exhibition at Galleria Carla Sozzani-Corso Como 10, Milan. Waistcoat made of playing cards which were shuffled and aged by dyeing, fraying, and ironing, then in nappa leather. (Photo: Marina Faust – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2006 – Ice cubes jewelry – (Photo: Jonathan Hallam – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2006 – Maison Martin Margiela was the special guest at Pitti Uomo 69 with a presentation at Teatro Puccini in Florence. (Photo: Pitti Immagine archive – cotonblanc) S/S 2007 – Photo: Johnny Gembitsky, Marina Faust – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) Artisanal A/W 2007 – Jewels dress – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela S/S 2008 – In-store sales display for the “Incognito” sunglasses. The design for the eyewear was inspired by the appearance of the models in the maison’s lookbooks, where a figure’s identity is rendered anonymous through a black pen stroke across the eyes. (Photo: Maison Martin Margiela – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) S/S 2008 – menswear collection – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela A/W 2008 – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela In a few years the rumours become more and more insistent, until an insider of the company said that since 2007 Martin Margiela had delegated the design of the lines to the various creative teams, following only a few special projects such as the creation of the perfume and the collection for the 20th anniversary. The secret was officially revealed in October 2009 when Renzo Rosso himself confirmed that “Martin has not been there for a long time” and that there is no intention to replace him, focusing on a new young creative team. S/S 2009 – Disco-mirror tuxedo jacket (Photo: Lachlan Bailey – mmm-maisonmartinmargiela) A/W 2009, S/S 2010, A/W 2010, S/S 2011, A/W 2011, S/S 2012 – style.com S/S 2010, S/S 2011, A/W 2012, S/S 2013 – style.com It has been a silent exit from the scene, just as his entrance, but we could not expect more from an invisible fashion designer. Currently, the sensitivity of the label is changed, the collections are focused on the surprise effect of the details, turning the archive garments into something more wearable and trendy. There’s a new commercial approach and the last collaboration with H&M (November 2012) is the proof. Alessandro Masetti The Fashion Commentator Photo and web references: style.com/ mmm-maisonmartinmargiela/ cotonblanc/ fashionencyclopedia.com/ independent.co.uk/ guardian.co.uk/ nationalpost.com/ jcreprot.com/ hypebeast.com/ amagazinecuratedby.com/ contemporaryfashion.net/ honeyee.com/ nytimes.com/ businessoffashion.com Maison Martin Margiela for H&M collection (Nov 2012)

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Beleza

The personal diaries of British fine art photographer Kirsty Mitchell, give an in depth view of the creation of her elaborate shoots, costumes and props.

Fancy dress costumes are required for all kinds of fun and frolics, from kid's parties to Halloween 'trick or treat'. This page helps you think of the initial idea, and to DIY your own from scratch.

Product ID: 16754902 Ivy Shimmer Garter Leg Wraps Ivy shimmer garter leg wraps Nylon Imported Item cannot be shipped to P.O. Boxes

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How to DIY Lara Croft- Tomb Raider Costume

We go behind the scenes with the Angel as she pins, tucks and preens in preparation for the big show.

After spending a couple of hours surfing the net looking for inspirational and unusual designers/artists I finally found one that took my breath away. The amount of work that has gone into her costumes is incredible. She uses a lot of wire work which you can't notice from afar, but once you see the bodices up close its amazing that amount of precision is possible. Seeing these just make me want to get the pliers and copper wire out and give it a go. I imagine it will take a few years of practice to get it up to this standard though. The other point that drew me to this artist is how young she is, at 18 she won the supreme wearable art award with the entry pictured below, this was after having 10 years of experience at making these wearable art pieces! Gradually getting more advanced of course, I would be gobsmacked if an 8 year old could manipulate wire at this standard, then again Mozart composed his first piece at the age of 4. Her Website My second thought when seeing these garments (my first was wow...) was that the amount of sterling silver wire used must have cost a bomb...so of course I had to find out how much it was. For just a metre its £6.70. Here are a couple of her other pieces that caught my eye: If you think these are pretty cool then you should check out the world of wearable art website here! The imagination thats gone into these picese is incredible.

Butterick B4889 - Unused pattern. Never cut/totally complete/factory folded. Envelope in very good condition with few wrinkles. MISSES' COSTUMES: Top A has raglan sleeves, gathered neckline and sleeves, bias tape casing and elastic. Skirts B, C have elastic waistline casing and tiered ruffles. Skirt C has contrast middle ruffle. Scarf D: Headscarf. Scarf E, F: Hip scarf with purchased trim. Makes sizes: XSmall (4-6), Small (8-10), Medium (12-14) (Misses') Bust: 29 1/2" - 36" Waist: 22" - 28" Hip: 31 1/2" - 38" Copyright year: 2006 This pattern is OOP (Out-Of-Print). For USA & international shipping rates click shipping tab. All sales final. To see more costume patterns from this era click here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/patternsource?section_id=6684480 To see my entire shop click here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/patternsource

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Trendy Hot Halloween Costumes Women Ideas 2023 full list of stunning costumes great ways to dress up for Halloween college party fun time

Halloween is a holiday that only happens once a year, where you can enjoy and wear costumes. This post contains the best easy college halloween costumes you’ll love with these hot and cute halloween costume ideas for college girls