Maison Margiela Rare Vintage Beaded Tapestry Runway Dress Gown Museum Collec
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU19618407682
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.
- Thierry Mugler Iconic Old Hollywood 1930's Inspired Dress Gown Wing Fin AccentsBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Los Angeles, CAThierry Mugler Siren gown inspired by Old Hollywood fashions of the 1930's. Fashioned of white pleated viscose in a halter style featuring "win...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Gowns
- Comme des Garcons NWT 2014 Runway Oversized Aerodynamic Link DressBy Comme des GarçonsLocated in Los Angeles, CARei Kawakubo's collection for Comme des Garcons S/S 2014 denotes a collection creatively unfettered by rules and formulas normally used in the fashion industry. In this collection t...Category
2010s Shift Dresses
- Comme des Garcons Asymmetric Victorian Flair Bustle Dress Westwood InspirationBy Comme des GarçonsLocated in Los Angeles, CARei Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons high concept creation with Victorian flair. Most likely inspired by Vivienne Westwood's wench style dresses. Asymmetric heavy cotton dress ext...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses
- Rare Roberto Cavalli Runway Grecian Serpent Silk Dress GownBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Los Angeles, CASince Cavalli recently passed this is one of the most memorable runway gowns from the 2007 Roberto Cavalli collection. Highly collectible. Grecian drape with plunging neckline. Fashi...Category
Early 2000s Evening Gowns
- Gucci by Tom Ford High Style One Arm Bandit Python Print Dress New Cond!By GucciLocated in Los Angeles, CATom Ford for Gucci showcased his Spring 2000 collection inspired by Farrah Fawcett, Blondie and Gwyneth Paltrow. It was all about jersey and python prints in the sexist of styles tha...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Evening Dresses
- Christian Dior by John Galliano Batteau Neck Long Sleeve Bustle DressBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe 2007 Dior collection by John Galliano celebrated the 60th-year-anniversary of the Christian Dior glamourous fashion legacy. An updated 21st century style homage to the House of ...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses
- Linda Cunningham Taupe Silk Gown w/ Multi Floral Lace & 3 Tier Ruffle Bust - 10Located in West Palm Beach, FLLinda Cunningham Taupe Silk Gown w/ Multi Floral Lace & 3 Tier Ruffle Bust - 10. This gorgeous gown is in excellent condition. It features a taupe silk material, three tier ruffle ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Gowns
- 1970s Robert Janan Grey Novelty Print Maxi DressLocated in London, GBThis 1970s Robert Janan novelty print dress is made from a soft jersey acrylic material in an ultra-long A-line cut. It has a scooped neckline, long sleev...Category
1970s American Maxi Dress
- 1970s Ossie Clark for Radley Celia Birtwell Bubble Print Smock DressLocated in London, GBThis charming circa 1969 cotton dress by Ossie Clark for Radley boasts a pretty 'bubble' print by celebrated textile designer Celia Birtwell. This piece is pretty and gamine with pu...Category
1960s British Day Dresses
- 1980s Donald Campbell Printed Floral Cotton Organdy Maxi DressLocated in London, GB1980s printed cotton organdy dress is by British designer Donald Campbell who created beautiful, individually cut ready to wear pieces from quality coutu...Category
1980s British Maxi Dress
- 1990s Bespoke Embellished Lace and Crystal Turquoise DressLocated in London, GBThis magnificent 1990s bespoke made embellished lace and crystal dress is a fairytale dream. The top section features a heavily crystal studded lace an...Category
1990s Italian Ball Gowns
- 1930s Grey and Gold Lame Floral Print DressLocated in London, GBThis absolutely enchanting vintage 1930s full length dress in dove grey textured silk with gold lame floral design is in beautiful antique condition. The dress features an empire lin...Category
1930s British Evening Dresses and Gowns