Maison Margiela SS27 Goes Hard... And Soft
Glenn Martens explores rigidity and fluidity for the Parisian fashion house’s latest ready-to-wear collection.
A week after announcing his official departure from Diesel, Glenn Martens unveiled his Spring/Summer 2027 collection for Maison Margiela, delivering a beautiful investigation into structural rigidity and fluid drapery. Rooted in traditional Parisian atelier divisions, the presentation juxtaposes hard tailoring foundations against the soft movements of dressmaking.
The set came courtesy of Mark Colle, the Belgian floral artist whose walls of blooms defined Raf Simons‘ first couture collection for Dior back in 2012, and here he returned to that memory with flowers that looked a season or two past their best, an affectionate nod from one Belgian designer to another that also sits comfortably with the house’s long habit of copying and reissuing the things it loves. Those same flowers turn up across the collection as prints, preserved at full bloom on dresses and coats while the originals on set showed their age.
As for the collection, Maison Margiela starts with the trench coat, adding stiffened panels that either wrap around the waist or run down both sides of the body. Draped dresses and tops portray a balcony effect that frames the body like a corset, and the deepest cowl dresses look as though the corsetry underneath has burst open at the front, sending heavy folds of fabric pooling down to the ankle. Crewneck dresses carry oversized, hardened darts slashed at the waist, and in one of the cleverest moves of the season, coat linings are stitched straight into floral dresses that have been split open at the back.
In the accessories arena, the 5AC Soft is back in a squishier leather, its zippered opening still looking like the lining has been tugged out of the bag, while the new Ghost line offers a new spin on the classics like the briefcase and the vanity case. The Link comes in suede, including a waxed pleated version made to age well, and the Glam Slam picks up the collection’s florals.
Shoes lean into the Heel-less concept, with knee-high tube boots and open-toe pumps hiding a tall heel inside while showing just a hint of kitten heel. New Slide heel mules set a curved sole against a boxy heel, and the Tabi family keeps growing with ruched Heel Clogs pulled from the archive alongside Tabi boots and ballerinas.
For more on PFW, read about Ester Manas’ SS27 collection showcase.
