Martin Margiella Simple Little Black Dress (40)
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 40 (EU)Bust: 34 in (86.36 cm)Shoulder to Hem: 36 in (91.44 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Port Hope, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU538749542
Maison Martin Margiela
Belgian designer Martin Margiela (b. 1957) — whose life, career, and designs for handbags, clothing and shoes have become cult-collector obsessions — pushed those who attended his shows outside their comfort zones. In the years following the 1988 debut of Maison Martin Margiela, 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.
Margiela decided to launch his own line while working for renowned Paris designer Jean Paul Gaultier. With Belgian designer Jenny Meirens, Margiela established Maison Martin Margiela in the French capital in 1988.
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.”
John Galliano was named creative director at the house in 2014 and it rebranded as Maison Margiela in 2015.
Find vintage Maison Martin Margiela boots, evening dresses, jackets and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Port Hope, Canada
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- MARNI Black Silk and Cotton DressLocated in Port Hope, ONWonderful shift dress which is 70% silk and 30% cotton. There is a nice scoop neck line, and detail at the waist. Side pleats form shallow pockets.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- A.K.R.I.S Black Cotton Dress (M-M+)Located in Port Hope, ONSimple and elegant black cotton dress with a diagonal pleat effect pattern. This dreess has a round neck, and the lining is made of light soft cotton. Swiss company but made in Italy.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Peter Pilotto Aureta Floral Print Dress, 2014By Peter PilottoLocated in Port Hope, ONA combination of soft pink and blue florals with bold shapes (art deco style). dress features a round neck; A-line shape, it is fully lined, and has a back zip closure. There is a s...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Day Dresses
- Marithe Francois Girbaud Black Dress (42 FR)Located in Port Hope, ONSuch a beautiful dress! Dropped waist; cut-out bottom; exposed zipper on satin border (replicated on the wide spagetti straps); stitched detail below the hips accented by a silver me...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Day Dresses
- GUCCI A/W 2008 Tartan Kilt Semi-Wrap w/Leather Accents 38 ItlBy GucciLocated in Port Hope, ONThis dress is part of Gucci's A/W 2008 collection. This lovely piece has semi-wrap features with snap button closures, as well as leather and silver-tone adjustable mini belts. The m...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Douglas Hannant Tussah Silk Tunic/Mini Dress (2)By Douglas HannantLocated in Port Hope, ONSuch elegance! The Tussah silk gives the effect of relief dots. The dress has a banded collat; elbow lenght sleeves; side darts at the bust; a silk lining and a concealed zipper at t...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mini Dresses
- 1970S Purple & Blue Striped Poly Blend Satin Long Sleeve Day To Night DressLocated in New York, NY1970S Purple & Blue Striped Poly Blend Satin Long Sleeve Day To Night DressCategory
1970s Casual Dresses
- 1970S SAKS 5TH AVENUE Navy Silk Chiffon Ruffled GownLocated in New York, NY1970S SAKS 5TH AVENUE Navy Silk Chiffon Ruffled GownCategory
1970s Formal Gowns
- DOLCE & GABBANA black & white ROSE PRINT & LACE Dress 42By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Zürich, CHDolce & Gabbana shift dress in black and white viscose (82%) cotton (16%) nylon (2%) with a rose print and lace part at the bottom, stand-up collar, puffed shoulders, long sleeves wi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Casual Dresses
- VALENTINO black silk BEDED Short Sleeve Dress 40By ValentinoLocated in Zürich, CHValentino embroidered short-sleeve dress in black/multi polyamide (100%) and silk (100%) with a round neck. Has a bead and lace pleated bottom. Closes on the back with a concealed zi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Casual Dresses
- 1990's Dolce & Gabbana Black Nylon Slip DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Austin, TX1990's Dolce & Gabbana Black Nylon Slip Dress Excellent condition Nylon fabric Made in Italy Size S/M Bust: 28"-38", Waist: 25"-36", Hips: 41"-54", Length: 44.5"Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- F/W 2001 Gucci by Tom Ford Black Tulle Sleeveless Shift DressBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a black pleated chiffon Gucci dress, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2001 collection, the top version of this dress in pink debuted on the season's runway as pa...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses