Through a French couture house, John Galliano created a masterpiece of a show this Haute Couture Week in Paris.
Haute Couture celebrates the pinnacle of fashion. It is the highest form of artistry in dressmaking. Furthermore, aside from the clothes, each design house curates and creates shows that showcase the collection perfectly. Recently, Haute Couture Week in Paris broke the internet because of a particular show—and it is by Maison Margiela.
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The recent Artisanal 2024 show was the first Haute Couture outing for the brands since 2020, and Galliano did not disappoint. After being away from the Haute Couture scene for two years, Maison Margiela, headed by John Galliano, embraced Paris’ underground and forgotten obscure beauty.
An Ode To Womanhood
The masterpiece collection is John Galliano’s love letter to women and their bodies. Gowns with tiny waistlines accentuate the female body, and sheer dresses revealing the outline and intimate parts of the models’ bodies as they walked down the runway. In general, the collection celebrated the different natural shapes and types of a woman’s body.
Galliano and Maison Margiela are two powerhouse forces in fashion known for challenging the norm. Both brand and creative director always push the limits of what message clothes can convey. In this collection, it is evident how Galliano emphasized the antithesis of how women’s bodies are portrayed in media and fashion.
Furthermore, the collection diverted from the typical one-size runway—models of different sizes and body shapes walked the show. The wide array of body types walking down the runway does not feel forced. Galliano designed the clothes to showcase a model’s body as naturally as possible-beyond the model size.
The models were moving like Victorian porcelain dolls that came to life; however, the runway pieces display the human body. The juxtaposition between a doll and a human being can be Galliano’s way of telling the world that women are not objects. Furthermore, the collection did not hesitate to fully unveil the ethereal beauty of a woman’s body—from the different curves and shapes to the existence of body hair; the show embraced the natural form of womanhood.
Porcelain Beauty
In a 2013 interview with Pat Mcgrath entitled Make-Up Just Isn’t The Same Without Galliano by Vogue Britain, the famed make-up artist expressed how she loved working with John Galliano. In the article, Mcgrath told the story of working with Galliano for a collection with Dior back then. Who would have thought that the two iconic artists would work together again this 2024?
Aside from the clothes, people heavily talked about the make-up from the show. Each model was painted like a porcelain doll. Furthermore, what made the internet go crazy about the makeup look is how it resembled real-life porcelain. Aside from the creative makeup, each model’s skin looked like polished glass. Furthermore, the make-up perfectly matched the story the clothes were telling.
The Artisanal 2024 Haute Couture collection by Maison Margiela revitalized people’s love for fashion. Galliano and Mcgrath’s artistic brilliance recharged excitement in the fashion industry. Furthermore, each detail, whether small or large, fell into its rightful place—making the collection and the show exquisitely antifashion.
Banner photo via Instagram @patmcgrathreal.
