The iPhones, FN’s included, busily documenting the very first co-ed Margiela show, opened by trans gender model Finn Barrett, weren’t the only smartphones in the Grand Palais space this morning in Paris. There were also mobile devices affixed to the spring ‘19 collection’s shoes and bags.
The object? To capture the collection from a different angle, giving a whole new meaning to the word “footage.”
John Galliano actually debuted this idea for his couture show in July when he used it to gather material for the house’s social channels, and while we can’t guarantee it will become a permanent fixture — social media is nothing if not ephemeral — it certainly beats one of those clunky virtual-reality headsets.
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When it comes to social media, John Galliano takes an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” attitude. Sure, he may have been on the wrong end of it at one point, but rather than diatribing on its attendant evils, he chooses to embrace it.
The shoes he accessorized with phones and tech clips appeared at first glance to be boots, but on closer inspection proved to be silicon-dipped, 16-centimeter platform sandals worn with matching silicone-dipped socks in red, black and blue. Possibly an observation on the illusory nature of many ‘grams.
Elsewhere there were new sneaker ballerina hybrids in candy wrap iridescents — perfect if Maria Grazia Chiuri’s more traditional take isn’t your thing. Mainstay shoes, however, were the more traditionally unisex Santiago boots with cutouts to the side.
These were also a nod to the ever-present idea of process and of the atelier at work where “memory of” skirts morphed into jackets and vice versa through clever use of the house’s nomadic cutting technique. As sartorial a metaphor for the gender debate as any.
In addition Galliano chose the show to unveil his first fragrance for the house, Mutiny. Or should we say #MyMutiny. The campaign video, starring Willow Smith and friends, was projected around the venue before the start of the show. Meanwhile, it was broadcast outside via a giant screen atop a large black van emblazoned with aforementioned hashtag.
Click through the gallery to view the full collection.
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