Doll
Has Haute Couture finally caught up with the mood in the streets?
I don’t really dig dolls, not anymore; I remember playing with them, inventing stories in which they were free, living their own, fierce independent lives. They worked, they had careers, they went out partying and they had no male dolls around. I don’t know why, maybe because I don't have brothers and neither I nor my sister ever got given a male doll, at least none over 10 cm, so guys were not included in the fabulous lives my dolls were leading. In popular culture dolls function as extensions of us, so even if my dolls were free and feisty, someone else’s dolls might be something else. And that’s my quarrel with them as an archetype, much as I wanted mine to be their own free, independent selves, they were an extension of me, in the same way that the dolls at Galliano (notice I don’t use the term Margiela) or Marc Jacobs are an extension of them. I can already hear you saying, if this is another critique of Galliano’s show for Margiela I’m going to jump out the window. Let me reassure you, it is not, but of course it is. I’ve spent the past week, like I guess many of you, immersed in the voices of countless critics and fashion aficionados talking about the vastness of feeling that Couture Week, or rather, Galliano’s latest Artisanal collection for Margiela has given them. And although I’m not interested in poring over the show itself, I am really intrigued by the reactions it has garnered. I’ve drafted some questions with the idea of trying to offer some theories on them. Since this space is as much mine as it is yours, my dear misfits, feel free to chip in your points of view.
So what is different about this particular Couture Week?
To begin with, the fact that it has made so much noise, not only because Galliano seems to have come full circle in his life and left all his reservations (and Margiela’s house codes) for another life, but also because this week has clearly spelled the very moment that fashion is experiencing right now. To the right of the court, the sensible, little ornamental but fabulous couture for everyday life, exquisitely made but quiet -and minimal- pieces with Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior carrying the flag and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino, albeit with very bold colours, running along, to the left, the drama team with Alaïa by Pieter Mulier (technically not couture), Schiaparelli by Daniel Rosenberry, Jean Paul Gaultier by Simone Rocha and Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano.
We have seen a comment on today’s technology via a baby robot, plenty of inclusive femininity embodied by ethereal ribbons and tulle in a game of strength and vulnerability, masterfully architectural and technically mind blowing pieces, plus Galliano virally coming back to himself, referencing Margiela half-heartedly in an unapologetic return to his obsessions, his silhouettes and his characters in the margins with the invaluable help of Pat McGrath’s genius in the make up department.
It is also notable that a fashion week which has stayed fairly expendable in terms of its ability to take the street temperature, has now managed to come to the front scene in full force. Overall, this signals two important things: One, both Pieter Mulier and Galliano’s couture collections have been developed over the past 12 months, which points to the fact that once given enough time to prepare and deep dive creatively into the story or the concept they want to work with, a designer can really achieve mastery. Therefore, maybe the reason the fashion world has been complaining of a lack of inspiration could be directly linked to a fashion system that places profit over value, imposing maddening deadlines of innumerable collections on designers and leaving them empty of the kind of ideas that make the fashion history books. The other, considering how these four collections have been received by the public, is that society might be ready for a change of scenery, demanding to regain a sense of fantasy and showstopping glamour in fashion.
And what about all the hailing of Galliano as a god again?
I need to come clean, I didn’t love the show, I mean, I loved it and I didn't, which is strange because if you give me Tim Burton anyday, I’ll enjoy it massively, and because if there’s one thing I appreciate is a good story, specially about a bunch of misfits. For me, Galliano’s work has always felt slightly bittersweet. I've been thinking about the reasons for this, and the answer that sums up my feelings more accurately was given by Lee McQueen when asked what was the difference between him and Galliano:
“John is more fluid and romantic, he has a great vision for romanticising his ideal woman […], I really care about a woman’s independence. I don’t like her to look so naive and so fragile.”
So there, my problem with Galliano is exactly that, many women are going to feel empowered by his vision, but I just don’t, and when I see these life sized dolls, walking down the runway, sometimes looking like discombobulated zombies, it spoils all the fun for me. I don’t want to look like a doll but the fact that many other women do is just perfect for them. On top of that, the praise that I’ve been reading online, with outbursts such as “The king is alive and well. And living among the mortals” give me the creeps, because Galliano came crashing down with the king’s suit on while going through terrible burn out. I do think he is a genius and I do love a lot of what he has done over the years but precisely because of my memory of his shows, I had a distinct feeling of dejà-vu, of seeing something amazing but not that original. Which brings me to my next question:
Why are people so emotionally touched by this show?
I think that younger audiences have been for a while craving the creative high that the iconic Margiela, Galliano or McQueen’s shows of the past used to deliver, that’s why the massive leon head brooches at Schiaparelli and Coperni’s stunts with technology have gone viral. But not only young audiences, fashion ones too have missed those perfect moments when a show really touches an emotional chord.
But for that kind of connection, there is a certain level of wild creativity that has to be unleashed, and with it the risk of being criticised, misunderstood or worse, cancelled. In this climate such unapologetic originality has felt like a perilous choice. Nevertheless, these same younger generations strive everyday to have their own unique voices and personas heard, living thus an inescapable personal conflict.
As we grapple with a world that comes safely ensconced within the never ending flow of highly curated and politically correct images in our screens, attaining that level of emotion is not easy. Therefore, we as a society dare less and less to stand out, but are delighted when guidance comes, opening the door to inspiration and entertainment without us having to bold it through before anyone else.
Does this mean that we can finally say goodbye to minimalism? Are terms like understated elegance and subtle sophistication going out the window?
The truth is that although it was quite recently that tik tok came up with the quiet luxury trend name, normcore has been taking our wardrobes hostage since 2013, evolving to the point where minimalism today has so many names that not even its own mother could recognize it, but the fact is that right when we gave it one of its boldest ones we seem finally able to let it go. Why? Maybe because of its ubiquity, there’s way too many brands making insane amounts of money out of a set of pieces that say nothing and mean nothing.
Fashion people will entertain a trend, any trend, as long as it’s fun and they can remain the very few wearing it, but when out of 30 people in the metro/tube/bus/ a party of 25 are dressed suspiciously similar, the fun evaporates. Also, minimalism is not one of the boldest trends in the drama department, it’s all about shape, effortlessness and quality, which although being really desirable qualities in a piece of clothing, there’s so many camel oversize blazers one can own. So, are we kinda bored? Maybe.
The proverbial pendulum is swinging to the opposite side of the spectrum and it’s quite understandable because minimalism is the sort of trend favoured mostly by those that consume fashion [disclaimer: gross generalisation coming… allow me, just to put my point across] because they need to get efficiently dressed but don’t necessarily live and breathe fashion (Succession anyone?). With minimalism usually come the appreciation of things like craftsmanship, design, comfort, practicality and feel of a garment, but not necessarily the drama of fashion.
For good reason then, some of the big bosses might surely be tuning the antennas in, because if the trend is to favour a uniform, how does an industry based on exponentially multiplying its profits each year is going to keep selling clothes ad infinitum? With that in mind, it seems that the time for drama and storytelling at which Galliano so brilliantly excels, might finally have come.
Much as we can love the texture of a cashmere cardigan or the exquisite cut on a cold wool pair of trousers, the unique deep blue hue of a silk sweater, and believe me, I do and I have, it’s the special pieces, the ones that you just can’t forget about and that capture our imagination, that leave us wanting for more. I’ll give an example, the other day I bought a pair golden boots that I had fallen in love with (I used to own another pair that I foolishly gave away with the rise of normcore). When I was trying these boots with different outfits I realised I now had space for more narratives in my wardrobe, pieces like a semi transparent pink nightgown or a soft tan brown leather waistcoat that I had bought and kept without using -because they seemed too bold or loud- suddenly felt at home with these boots and so did I. So it’s not only about a corset or a see through pair of trousers, we’ve had plenty of those already, it’s about the joy that some drama and storytelling can add. It’s about feeling a million dollars, and of course we can feel that way wearing the softest fabrics and the best cut pieces, but maybe after 10 years, we’ve had enough.
Considering the noise surrounding these Haute Couture Shows it might be concluded that we no longer care that the models look like dolls, let us be dolls if it means we’ll have fun. That’s all from me this weekend, misfits, I hope you had a great one! What do you think? I read you in the comments.