In Pictures

Maison Martin Margiela A/W12 In the days of email, facebook, twitter and instant messaging, nothing triggers excitement like receiving a fashion show invite via post, especially when the sender is Maison Martin Margiela. Since their first S/S89 presentation – when they invited guests via telegram invitation – the Parisian fashion house, renowned for its deconstructivist approach and taste for recovery and recycling materials, has consistently created invites as innovative as their collections.

True to form, for their A/W12 womenswear show on Friday Margiela served up a strong collection with intriguing twists: hemlines came normal at the front and several inches shorter at the back, coat collars and polo necks reached almost eye-line, and trompe l’oeil capes appeared like jackets with arms tucked into pockets. However it was their ingenious invite – a flash light key chain that projects the show details when shone onto a dark surface – that has given us endless hours of idle pleasure.

With all of this in mind we take a look back at Margiela’s most playful and resourceful invite creations, including: A/W89’s classified advertisement, S/S06’s ceramic plate, S/S09’s childlike felt tip pen illustrated cardboard, A/W10's puzzle pieces, and S/S11’s acrylic stencil ruler. Who said that fashion week should just be about the clothes?

Text by Lucia Davies

Lucia Davies is junior editor of AnOther. She has also contributed to titles that include Dazed & Confused, The Independent, It's Nice That, Nowness, Twin and Wonderland.