Drawing inspiration from the 1952 Helsinki winter Olympic Games, Maison Martin Margiela presented a chic MM6 collection with a distinctly sporty aesthetic earlier this week. Models stood in a neat row on a raised platform before marching back and forth in pairs of three, as if stepping forward to receive medals. As the line of models stood unmoving, projections of snow-capped mountain peaks played on the wall’s crown molding behind them.
Inside-out detail and lengthened garments, which have been staples of the brand, were not abandoned in this season’s collections. Sport-friendly materials like cotton, jersey, flannel, and bonded leather took the forefront. Complex, interesting prints and splashes of color — like a gorgeous deep red, belted cape jacket – added a sense of depth and opulence to the otherwise starkly athletic collection. One particularly creative “trompe l’oeil print” even deceptively resembled a gray fox fur and a medallion print dress, that took inspiration from Greco-Roman tiling, bore the labels signifying number “6” with the year 2013 on its front. Paired with nude tights and rubber soled athletic boots it was difficult not to see the Olympic parallels.
Fall/Winter 2013-2014
