Maison Margiela Black Orchid Bias Gown with Open Back New!
About the Item
- Designer:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1967478762
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: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Lanvin Elegant 1930 Inspired Polkadot Evening Dress Gown Worn by Michelle ObamaBy Lanvin ParisLocated in Los Angeles, CALanvin fine silk navy blue and white polkadot print in a bias cut blouson silhouette. Inspired by the elegant and haute couture fashion of the 1930's, Lanvin's creative director, A...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Gowns
- Alexander McQueen "What a Merry Go Round" Spiral Zipper Evening Dress NEWBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Los Angeles, CAPre-death Alexander McQueen rare A/W 2001 "What a Merry Go Round" Collection. Fashioned of black stretch satin with spiral zipper througout d...Category
Late 20th Century Evening Dresses
- Alexander McQueen 2007 Black & Petrol Green Bustier Silk Evening Dress NWTBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Los Angeles, CAAlexander McQueen strapless two-tone black and petrol green tissue taffeta evening dress. Bustier with draped center detail and ruching all throughout. Balloon hem with contrasting l...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior Chevron Pattern Evening Ensemble Inspired by 1950 Dior CollectionBy Christian DiorLocated in Los Angeles, CACirca 1999 John Galliano for House of Dior inspired from a little known rare 1950's collection by Christian Dior. Gown fashioned of black white and red ...Category
Late 20th Century Evening Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier Dramatic Goth Dress Gown with Flowing Cape NewBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Los Angeles, CADramatic goth black sleeveless gown with attached cape by Jean Paul Gaultier. Fashioned of a weighty silk rayon with deep plunging sheer neckline and flowing sheer cape. Offers con...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Gowns
- Oscar de la Renta Corsage Cocktail Dress New!By Oscar De La RentaLocated in Los Angeles, CAOscar de la Renta strapless lace and silk corsage cocktail dress offered in brand new condition. Hand ruched black lace bodice with large attached rosette corsage. Bodice extends into navy blue tulip skirt adorned with rosettes and twinkling sequins. Back zipper closure; lined. Corset interior. Oscar de la Renta 2011...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Dresses
- Badgley Mischka Beaded Black Silk Lace Evening Gown Size US 10By Badgley MischkaLocated in New York, NYBadgley Mischka glamorous black silk lace evening gown, size US 10. Gown features hand beaded and embroidered lace with glass jet beading, and neckline with glass jet beads along cu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Gowns
- Rare LARRY ALDRICH COUTURE 1950s Silk Taffeta Bow & Button Cocktail DressLocated in Asheville, NCLarry Aldrich, 1950's Era Vintage Couture, Silk Taffeta, V Neck Front Wrap Style with Bow, Two Front Pockets, Nine Fabric Back Buttons, Built-in Moderate Crinoline with Hook and Eye ...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- Calvin Klein Black Lace Cocktail Dress, c. 1990s.By Calvin KleinLocated in New York, NYCalvin Klein Black Lace Cocktail Dress, c. 1990s. Calvin Klein Black Lace Cocktail Dress featuring low cut V-ncekline and shoulder pads. Beautiful Lace hem extends past chiffon linin...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Gown with Open Back, 1990.By Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Gown with Open Back, 1990. Full length woven dress with waistband. Features slit at center front and open ...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Gianfranco Ferré black gown with sheer sleeves, ca. 1970By Gianfranco FerréLocated in New York, NYGianfranco Ferré black gown with sheer sleeves, ca. 1970 Long black wool dress with subtle shimmer featuring waistcoat-style bodice with sheer sleeves. Mermaid skirt features diagona...Category
1970s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Thierry Mugler Haute Couture Green Velvet Dress with Belt, "VAMPIRE DRESS" 1981.By Thierry Mugler CoutureLocated in New York, NYThierry Mugler Haute Couture Green Velvet Dress with Belt, "VAMPIRE DRESS" 1981. Off the shoulder puff-sleeve green velvet dress featuring fitted inner s...Category
1980s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses