Isabel Marant (Take 45)

Isabel Marant from Samuel de Ceccatty on Vimeo.

I wrote the following about Isabel Marant, way back in 2007. Another era! I love her perspective, I love her aesthetic, and I find her attitude so refreshing:

Isabel Marant

April 29, 2007 - One Response

*****I owe a great deal to Creatures of Comfort in Los Angeles for introducing me to Isabel Marant, my new favorite designer. Marant creates an artful balance between comfort and beauty, conservative and sexy. The materials she uses, such as washed silk, are relaxed enough to be worn on a day-to-day basis, but unique enough to be worn to a wedding. In fact, Marant’s clothes are far too precious not to be worn on a daily basis. Imagine a white silk tank dress with a drop waist. Imagine that the gathered, pleated skirt falls just above the knee. The entire bodice is covered with white embroidery, all displayed in a large circular shape. Now, imagine that the dress is completely backless, scooping down within inches of the backside. Classy, but provocative.

*****Every item from the spring 2007 collection reminds me of something I’d throw on some carefree morning en route to the beach, let’s say Venice Beach, my favorite. The kind of day you wake up with little attention to any past or future. As the afternoon progresses, it comes time for a nap on a grassy hill near the sand, in full view of the colorful everything going on around me. With zero hesitation to the gorgeous frock I’m wearing, I sprawl out on the grass, getting wrinkled and a bit messy all the while. What I’m trying to say is that while Marant’s clothes are delicate and lovely (perfect) they are also meant to be lived in. They are clothes that deserve a good life. An adventurous life. A history.

*****It was during a recent semi-argument, with a psychologist no less, that I debated the validity of fashion as an art form. As I defended my interest (obsession), I tried to paraphrase a vogue article on Paul Poiret, an eccentric designer from the early 1900′s. Poiret said, “I want women to be as different in their dress as they are in their personalities.” Yes! Exactly! Ideally, fashion designers generate the tools with which to apply Poiret’s philosophy. Fashion is superficial in that clothes rest on the exterior, but to say it is not a daily art is to ignore the fact that humans are processing cultural references continually through dressing. As our interests develop, as our minds evolve, our self expression changes. We are individuals, some more than others, and if one out of 100 women has figured it out, that inspiring balance, than perhaps Poiret can R.I.P. More importantly, maybe Marant and her followers can help spread the gospel of how exciting it can be to live a little more, every single day, through something as accessible as fashion. click here

*****

Now, here is an excerpt from the September 2010 issue of InStyle magazine in which Marant discusses her philosophy:

"I have a strong personality. . . So as a woman I want you to be interested in me first - not my wardrobe. I also don't feel the same every day. Or every hour. But whatever my mood is, I am still the same person. For a wardrobe to be realistic it has to offer contrast, unity, and endless possibilities. That's why it makes perfect sense for me as a designer to combine crochet and denim, or shiny leather pants with a plain T-shirt. . . It's easy to make magic on a red carpet - except just how many of us live that life? But how do we make it happen every day on the sidewalk? That's why I love to design."

I feel that what I wrote in 2007 captured, in some way, the essence of Marant's recent statement. I saw a good thing coming. . .