Maison Margiela Couture Fall 17
Designer: John Galliano

For the Maison Margiela AW17 Couture collection, designer John Galliano cites his main inspiration as ‘Everyday Glamour’. Galliano looked at the meaning of Glamour and what he would identify as ‘Glamourous’- such as a red lip, high heel and sequins. Galliano also turned to images of iconic ‘glamourous’ stars, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor being his main inspirations. Galliano, however, wanted the collection to also reflect everyday wear, hence the introduction and deconstruction of the classic trench coat, and reference of modern muses like Riley Keough- who epitomises this natural kind of glamour that carries through to the everyday.

Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963) Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox, photographer unnamed.

’Iconic Images’ of Elizabeth Taylor were one of John Galliano’s named inspirations for the AW17 collection. Taylor epitomises the glamour within Hollywood during the 1950s and 60s. The image above is taken from the 1963 film ‘Cleopatra’ in which Taylor starred. The image shows the immense detail with which all the costumes were created. Costume designer Renie Conley had a budget of £123,000 just for the wardrobe. Conley won the 1963 Academy award for Best Costume Design for her incredible creations showcased in the film. The costume of the film was extremely influential, reviving a trend for Egyptian style accessories, the geometric bob and especially the Cleopatra eye.

Below is an advert from 1963, advertising the makeup brand Revlon and their eyeliner to create Cleopatra inspired eye makeup. This derives directly from the popularity of the film starring Taylor.