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Waistcoat

Design House Maison Margiela French
Designer Martin Margiela Belgian
fall/winter 1989–90
Not on view
Martin Margiela and the Parisian house he founded sought to keep attention focused on their design output—both overtly, by refusing to accommodate interviews and portraits, and subliminally, by adopting a uniform of white lab coats that underscored the idea of the work as a collective labor. The maison’s approach to haute couture has been similarly unique. From its earliest days, Margiela’s Artisanal line has exploited the inherent qualities of found materials. With exacting craftsmanship, old matter is regularly overdyed, embellished, and pieced together in new formations. These exercises extend the life-span of things that might otherwise be rendered worthless, while remaining true to the investment in technique and customization that characterizes a couture garment. An exemplar from the first Artisanal collection, this waistcoat conjures a narrative of fine porcelain tableware reduced to useless shards and then reincarnated as an object of beauty and desire through careful handwork.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Waistcoat
  • Design House: Maison Margiela (French, founded 1988)
  • Designer: Martin Margiela (Belgian, born 1957)
  • Date: fall/winter 1989–90
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: porcelain, metal, cotton
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2013
  • Object Number: 2013.948
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

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Vest, Maison Margiela French, porcelain, metal, cotton, French
Vest
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Ensemble, Maison Margiela French, plastic, silk, cotton, metal, French
Ensemble
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"Drapery Study", Maison Margiela French, (a) rayon, acetate, cuprimonium acetate; (b, c) cotton; (d, e) silk; (f, g) leather, French
"Drapery Study"
Maison Margiela
Martin Margiela
spring/summer 1997
Evening dress, Maison Margiela French, silk, polyester gum, French
Evening dress
Maison Margiela
Martin Margiela
spring/summer 1997
Ensemble, Maison Margiela French, synthetic, French
Ensemble
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