John Galliano Makes His Debut For Maison Martin Margiela

The couture collection you need to see...

After a troubled four year hiatus, John Galliano has returned to fashion with a triumphant debut for Maison Martin Margiela.

Presenting his spring 2015 couture collection in London, rather than the usual Paris slot, the former Dior designer chose an anonymous office block setting - how fitting, considering Martin Margiela is a man ironically famed for his invisibility.

Handing over the house keys to one of the most high-profile designers ever was surely a risk for MMM’s uniform ‘collective’, but one that seems to have paid off as the artisanal collection emerged.

Perfectly deconstructed tuxedos and pitch-perfect column gowns were quick to remind us that Galliano’s tailoring skills are second-to-none, while surrealist embellishments (a razor cut coat breast covered with patent shells in a sort of latex lobster look) showed us that he can still come up with kooky-cool new concepts aplenty.

Sat frow-side were the designer’s greatest supporters - Anna Wintour, Manolo Blahnik and Burberry's Christopher Bailey were all in attendance, the latter having dashed across town from his own menswear presentation just to witness the event.

But it was the show’s finale that really struck a chord with the audience, as the previous looks emerged again in calico toile form, tacked with instructions and handwritten notes. Partly, perhaps, a reference to his original debut as a graduate in 1984, and partly, of course, to remind everyone that the new Galliano is still work in progress.