Marie Saint Pierre - spring/summer 2008
Marie Saint Pierre offers up a structural feast for spring/summer 2008, from deconstructed Victorian to futuristic fantasy.
A tattered, white chiffon blouse looks haphazard but is rather quite calculated; every strip of torn fabric is placed with great care. A glittery silver cowl-neck shrug dress with tight fitted sleeves is a stunning shape, if hard to figure out. Marie Saint Pierre creations, to the designer’s credit, have never been for the faint of heart. Some of the best pieces are black and white asymmetric hybrids where swatches of fabric are merged mysteriously to create that recognizable Saint Pierre look.
The structure is perhaps more transparent in pieces like the black empire-waist dinner coat, with its stock-solid shoulders and a razor-sharp V-neck plunge. There’s something rather Dior about the loop and chain accessorizing, but that’s entirely forgivable.
Whatever the case, the silhouettes in this collection always carry at least one element of surprise. A dressy white jacket is ordinary and innocuous, save for its gently flared sleeves. An open-front black dress with long sleeves is something that Marie Saint Pierre has done before, but the pencil shape makes it original.
The cowl neck is a recurring feature in this collection, and delightfully so. It ties together all the crazy pieces, like the asymmetric dress with a frothing wave of crinkle spilling down the front.
Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer
