Dear Shaded Viewers,
Yesterday, under the creative direction of Glenn Martens, Maison Margiela unveiled its FW26/27 collection in China for the first time. Spanning intricate couture and pared-back commercial pieces, the show offered a complete expression of the house’s design codes.
Set within a Shanghai shipping yard, a Parisian flea market was reimagined into a hauntingly beautiful world where porcelain dolls seemed to come alive. Models drifted between stacked containers, moving slowly like lost bodies from a Victorian shipwreck. Their preserved porcelain features gave way to a surreal, gothic beauty.
Edwardian silhouettes and tapestries returned with a sense of romantic decay, upholding this season’s idea of forgotten garments. Vintage fabrics were glued onto more wearable pieces, then torn away—leaving faint, memory-like imprints. A six-metre Edwardian dress was repurposed and coated in beeswax for a sculptural stiffness, while velvet gowns emerged in regal purples and deep oxblood red. Tactility reached its peak in a gown and matching mask made entirely from broken porcelain.
Tailoring remained sharp, if not necessarily new. Double-breasted jackets appeared in second-skin jersey; others were brushed in bianchetto white. Each look was paired with a mask—whether classic Margiela anonymity through tights or full sculptural coverings—continuing the house’s philosophy of deflecting attention from the wearer to the garment itself.
Accessories and footwear expanded on these themes. The “Level Cut-Out” boots, men’s “float shoe,” and a stiletto Tabi debuted alongside refreshed icons: the “Glam Slam” bag was sanded to resemble vintage furniture, while the new “Link Bag” introduced a softened structure.
Mostly muted tones, save for the metallic gold and pink gowns, a haunting soundtrack, and towering containers made for an almost perfect show. The illusion faltered briefly as models stumbled under the weight of concept-heavy looks, perhaps proof that while a porcelain gown and mask may triumph in theory, they are perilous in practice. One can only wish luck to whichever celebrity inevitably braves the Met Gala steps in it next month.
The Shanghai show also marked the launch of MaisonMargiela/folders, a 12-day immersive project featuring free exhibitions in four Chinese cities, each exploring the house’s distinct codes and heritage.
It takes time for designers to find their rhythm within storied maisons—we’ve seen steady evolution from Jonathan Anderson at Dior. Martens appears on a similar trajectory, and this collection stands as his most assured work for Margiela to date.
Later,
Olivia
