Marant showed her Spring 2010 collection in Paris on Friday, March 5. The reviews were surprisingly mixed. I say surprisingly because Marant’s previous collections received a tremendous response and boutiques could not keep pieces in stock.
Her latest show featured cropped, sometimes cuffed, skinny jeans that hit about mid-calf and appeared in a variety of colors and prints. There were even some pairs in sequins that reminded me a little of the pants Spanish matadors wear.
Marant paired her fitted bottoms with slightly oversized, moderately androgynous blouses and sweaters—a very sweet pairing of the feminine leg (Marant seems to love sending lots of leg down her runways) with a more masculine borrowed-from-the-boyfriend topper.
Marant continued to moderate the femininity of her collection with “harder” pieces that seemed a little more rocker chic. Although I would argue that Marant has always designed with an element of rock ‘n’ roll, this time it was more glam/metal than Woodstock.
The collection offered a darker palette, with lots of black and dark metallics. Of course Marant paired some of these heavier colored pieces with a white version of her capri pants and threw in a light-wash denim jacket, both choices helped to create a nice balance.
Leather jackets and structured shoulders—though much softer than the severe, exaggerated jackets of recent—conveyed a sophistication to the rocker feel and made it the collection feel more graceful and less grunge.
Many reviews of the show focused on the fifties vibe of the crop leg, high ponytails and cat-eye makeup. One misguided writer unsuccessfully tried to compare many of the looks to the musical “Grease.” I don’t see just the fifties in this collection—I see a concept of how women exude both strength and vulnerability in a way that creates a truly feminine sexuality.
I saw the elements of the 50s girl, but I also saw 80s glam-rock in the volume of the metallic mini skirts and the undeniable panache of Studio 54 in my favorite look: a patterned silk shirtdress wrapped and cinched with a wide red leather obi—an accessory I suddenly must have—and finished with a mid-length fur.
Reviewers seemed unfairly critical of this collection, calling it a “departure.” I have to pose the question then, to these observers of fashion: Do you actually want to see the same thing come down the runway each season?
I do not.
Perhaps the mixed feelings about the latest from Marant are a result of the tremendous love she received for her past collections.
Marant made her strongest impact to date on the fashion community with her Spring 2009 Ready to Wear collection that launched “prairie chic,” a sort of neo-bohemian look that required suede slouchy boots wrapped with chains to accompany even the sweetest of delicate lace mini-frocks.
Of course that collection was much deeper than the patchwork tunics, airy, gauzy flower print and long, long legs. Marant sent quite a bit of black down the runway too. The collection seemed to transition smoothly from the romantic to a harder nightlife look through the use of black macramé and dark florals, ultimately ending with short and metallic… and those amazing boots of course.
I would argue that Marant has enjoyed such wonderful success in France, and more recently across the globe, because of a remarkable ability to design looks and pieces that allow a woman to transition from season to season.
In this collection we can see this specific talent at work. She maintains the skinny leg silhouette, but alters the length—an easy adjustment. She softens the oversized, hard shoulders, but maintains structure, creating a look that is inherently more “wearable.” The loose men’s dress shirts can be paired with everything, and made more flattering with the addition of her obi belts.
Marant has always excelled with accessories—those suede boots and then the studded suede booties of her previous collections generated waitlists miles long and inspired mass-produced knockoffs that went quickly. I think it was a wise move for her to leave the boots and simplify with a feminine pointy-toed kitten pump—with a bow. Somehow this choice allowed the clothes to speak louder and definitely made the legs (always the legs!) appear longer—something any girl should get behind.
Every single look makes me believe that I can dress just like this. And that impression has always been consistent in every one of Marant’s collections.
Kirsten
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