Fashion, Revised

Lately when I've rummaged in most things Fashion, I've felt sorely disappointed.  Nothing pretty or interesting or thoughtful.  Just the making of people into consumer objects without a past or a future.  I look at ensambles and I visualize the person wearing it going no where positive.  So sad.  And, then I browsed the Maison Martin Margiela 2014 collection.  The collection reworks famous textiles into new creations.  Scraps from Fortuny and forgotten decor prints by FLW all incorporated into memorable works of art

I wish I knew what textile this pattern originally came from.  I want to see this dress up close--from this view, Iit could be a Showa kimono print.  Or a mural.  The only thing I know is that I want to know more!

I love this dress and would wear I

it--that makes me love it even more!  I can't decide if it is a 60's Marimekko print or some vintage wax fabric.  It is interesting and beautiful.

Showing the selvages--some of the fabrics by high-end designers are BEAUTIFUL (I'm thinking of Nani Iro).  They're the touches of the fabric that we normally don't see, they tell you what colors are in the fabric and who drew the design.  Seeing the pantone dots makes me smile and think of holding the fabric and trying to decide what to make.  Such a wonderful feeling!

i love this collection; the fabrics are so interesting that I wish I knew the minutia about them.  The garments themselves are simple and while not body-con, they do look comfortable and like reasonable garments.  The mini dress is not for everyone but nothing ever is.  I guess I like this collection so much because it takes the beautiful history of fashion and reuses it to make something new.  Interesting textiles plus interesting designs!

photos from style.com

Marimekko And The Dress Of Many Colors

I have no idea why, but I'm obsessed with wearing print.  I own almost no solid colored clothing--I just poked my head in my closet and I literally only have 4 solid colored dresses.  If something is solid colored I usually have it just because I've got some outlandish print something and needed something to wear with it.  The problem with liking print so much is that good prints are hard to find.  It seems like most print fabric designers make stuff out of is an absolute snooze.  Stuff like polka dots and maybe some boring vintage-inspired flowers.  And then there is Marimekko.

Marimekko is a textile company based in Finland.  They started in 1951 as a clothing fabric maker and they started making simple dresses out of the fabric to show how it could be used.  These simple dresses became an absolute sensation in the 1960s starting when Jackie Kennedy started wearing them.  From then on, the vibrant prints became a clothing staple and companies the world over have attempted to emulate them.  Several companies have had long-standing partnerships with Marimekko, like Crate & Barrel and FinnAir.  In the 1980s and 1990s the company ran into financial trouble but was revived.  What really put it back on the map was Patricia Field started using Marimekko items in SEX AND THE CITY and so for the last 10 years Marimekko has once again become a household name and the rest is history!

And, I'm hooked on their prints.  While they do release dresses for Anthropologie, they also still have their own in-house fashion line that they still use to showcase their fabrics.  My favorite dress that they have available right now is the Tamir dress in black and white. The print is quintessential Marimekko--its got the folk art inspired print against a solid contrasting background.  Its classic, modern and cool looking.  The cut of the dress is great--it gives a flattering shape, is appropriate for pretty much everyone and is stylish.  I love the neck, that vintage style standing collar is fantastic.  Its a print dress that anyone could wear without looking like their grandparents drapes or like a snoozefest.  Love it!!

Marimekko still makes their fabrics for commercial and consumer use and in all kinds of prints.  Two of my favorite ones that are available right now are the Keisarinna Collection pictured above and the Kissanminttu Collection pictured below.  What I love is that they are classic looking florals reinterpreted in such a way to make them look unconventional.  Perfect for this spring!

Pictures from Marimekko