February 22, 2017 |
Can we begin with the shoes? They were really good. Some pointed, with a sole that extended out sideways and in metallics, or a sort of psychedelic print. Or the giant platform boots, that crept just above the ankle, in more rainbow colours, giving up the tiniest hint of toe. Some shiny trainers. Two-tone thigh high boots. But without getting fixated on the feet, as that sort of thing can probably get you into trouble, we will say that the rest of the collection is really great too. There’s something really nice about the way that Marques’Almeida create clothes for real girls. And we don’t mean that in that kind of clichéd, Dove advert sort of a way – but that their collection is made up as friends. Or girls that inspire them. The press release combine quotes from the “M’A Girls” about the collection with words from the black artist Malick Sidibé, whose photographs documented life in Bamako, Mali during independence. “Young people enjoyed having their photograph taken in their best attire, with their new earrings, curled hair, showing off their best watch… everyone likes to be beautiful in photographs,” he said. It spoke of this idea of a community of girls wearing clothes that made them look and feel good. Which meant it was eclectic – beginning with tailoring, striped, wide on the shoulder and coming in at the waist to a double-breasted fastening, moving on to ruffled coloured skirts, or roomy shirts and dresses with elongated sleeves. A magnificent metallic shearling coat. Plenty of stripes, dots, checkerboards and those marble-y psychedelic prints. All scattered with some really good bags. Like the clutches, that scrunched up in the model’s hands. Another brilliant collection. And we know we say this all the time, but we do really mean it this time – we want it all. Every single thing.
