Martin Margiela white and black striped inverted overlocked vest, ss 1991
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: EU 38 - IT 42 - UK 10 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. overlock stitch becoming loose in some places.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14022608613
Maison Martin Margiela
Belgian designer Martin Margiela (b. 1957) — whose life, career, clothing designs and vintage shoes have become cult-collector obsessions — pushed those who attended his shows outside their comfort zones. In the years following his maison's 1988 debut, he toyed with creative and aesthetic paradoxes that persist in fashion today.
Consider the Spring/Summer 2001 shirt patchworked from vintage clothing labels, or his famous corset dresses made from tailoring dummies, from his Fall/Winter 1997 line. Or his oversize collection for Fall/Winter 2000. In 1992, Margiela told Dépêche Mode magazine, “My clothes appeal to women of a certain mindset rather than of a specific age or physique.”
Born in Genk, Belgium, in 1957, Margiela knew he wanted to be a fashion designer after catching glimpses of Parisian fashion on TV as a child. Although his parents discouraged this career choice as an oddly funny aspiration, Margiela enrolled in the fashion program of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. There, he befriended and graduated a year ahead of the Antwerp Six — the acclaimed group of Belgian fashion designers comprising Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs and Dirk Van Saene.
Like many of his contemporaries in the 1980s, Margiela understood Paris fashion but felt a deep resonance with the deconstructed beauty espoused by Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, of Comme des Garçons. Margiela’s fascination with Japan influenced many of his earliest collections and designs, from a dress pieced together from broken plates to his iconic Tabi boots, inspired by the split-toe Japanese worker’s shoe, which dates back to the 15th century. He decided to launch his own line while working for renowned Paris designer Jean Paul Gaultier.
Margiela, Gaultier has often stated, was his best assistant. Even then, the 2019 film Martin Margiela: In His Own Words suggests, he was acutely aware of the widening gulf between the art and the business of fashion.
Margiela’s debut show was nothing short of spectacular. Set in a packed Café de la Gare in the still-seedy Marais district, it was also scandalous to the Parisian fashion set of the time. The designer tore up the conventions of contemporary couture presentations, most notably having his models, plucked from the streets and wearing ink-blotted Tabis, wend their way through the crowd. The show redefined the concept of the runway in a way that would later inspire such designers as Alexander McQueen and Demna Gvasalia.
While the notoriously private designer retired from fashion in 2009, for many Maison Martin Margiela collectors, his pieces capture the irreverence of the postwar, post-punk late 1980s and ’90s. Katy Rodriguez, cofounder of the cult vintage fashion shop Resurrection, is among those who felt a connection to Margiela’s clothing in the subliminal challenges it posed to the time’s beauty norms.
“Growing up in San Francisco and coming out of the end of punk rock, not wanting to be objectified, not wanting to be seen as a sexual object, not wanting your value to be just because you’re pretty — all those clothes played into all of that,” she says. “It really was a reflection of the kind of world the young people I knew at the time wanted to live in.”
Find vintage Maison Martin Margiela boots, evening dresses, jackets and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vivienne Westwood blue and white striped back to front blouse, ss 1989By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood blue and white striped back to front blouse with metallic gold motifs on the cuffs Spring-Summer 1989Category
1980s British Blouses
- Margiela pink cotton oversized deconstructed folded shirt, ss 2001By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GB▪ Martin Margiela pink oversized shirt ▪ 100% Cotton ▪ Oversized fit ▪ Deconstructed design with sewn folds ▪ Embroidered four-leaf clover ▪ Size Medium ▪ Spring-Summer 2001Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses
- Vivienne Westwood draped chiffon blouse, ss 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood draped chiffon printed blouse Spring-Summer 1993Category
1990s British Blouses
- Vivienne Westwood 'Cut, Slash & Pull' blue voile oversized shirt dress, ss 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood; dusty blue cotton voile oversized blouse with large bishop sleeves, pointed collar, and ascending hemline from front. Signature slashes throughout the whole blouse...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Worlds End pink cotton 'Punkature' oversized blouse, ss 1983By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBWorlds End by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. Pink cotton oversized blouse. Oversized turn up cuffs with Velcro fastening, signature using Bla...Category
1980s British Blouses
- Worlds End brown crochet knit "Pirate" top with gold squiggle print, A / W 1981By Worlds EndLocated in London, GB- Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's first show for Worlds End - Gold and navy screen print 'Squiggle' print - Asymmetric design; one extra long sleeve...Category
1980s British Blouses
- Chloe Ivory, Blue, & Gold Paisley Printed Silk Blouse w/ Rhinestone Trim - 42By ChloéLocated in West Palm Beach, FLChloe Ivory, Blue, & Gold Paisley Printed Silk Blouse w/ Rhinestone Trim - 42. This blouse is in excellent condition with a rhinestone trim along the neckline. This silk blouse fea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Blouses
- Jean Colonna New Beaded Sheer Panel Top 1990sLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous black beaded top from Jean Colonna. It is sleeveless with a crew neckline and a front sheer panel adorned with an elaborate pattern of black ...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- 1980s Hanae Mori Floral BlouseBy Hanae MoriLocated in New York, NYVintage 1980s Hanae Mori Floral Blouse: This blouse was made in the 1980s by Hanae Mori, the legendary Japanese designer whose east-meets-west approach to fashion design influenced an entire generation of designers who followed her, and earned her her most loyal client, Princess Grace of Monaco. Mori was a pivotal element of the wave of Japanese...Category
1980s Blouses
- Chanel Multicolor Floral Print Ruffle Cotton BlouseBy ChanelLocated in Krakow, PLPerfect for spring summer and easy to dress up and down through the day, this Chanel blouse is a must have feminine fashion piece. Designed in multicoloured floral watercolour print...Category
2010s Blouses
- A. J. Bari Black & Silver Lamé Metallic Tuxedo Style Top, 1980'sLocated in Atlanta, GAC. 1980 A. J. Bari black and silver lamé metallic top with tuxedo styling including a bib detail at the bodice and detachable bow tie. It buttons down the front and at the rick rack...Category
1980s American Blouses
- Antique Victorian Silk Bodice with Crochet Lace DetailsLocated in New York, NYAntique Victorian clothing is rare enough to come by, and this blouse is such a special collector's item. Circa 1890s, it's made of the most...Category
1890s Blouses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Martin Margiela: An Intimate Look at the Designer and His Surreal Fashions
In a recently released film, the elusive Belgian designer reflects on his time in the fashion world and his avant-garde creations, which have become coveted collector items.
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.