MM6 Maison Margiela Pre-Fall 2023 Collection

At MM6 Maison Margiela, the new “Avant Premiere” collection begs for a better word than unisex. Failing that, the collection notes offered catchphrases about “continuing the study of sartorial mundanity.” Which is really just Margiela-ese for quiet subversion, the kind that lets the wearer fill out the clothing’s ideas in the same way one might absorb music or art.

By design, the MM6 line is kind of a work in progress. During a showroom preview, someone broached (charmingly) the “nose and tail” philosophy behind each collection: there’s always something new poking through, but there are also always end thoughts. In between are the ideas that carry over, drawing loyalists back season after season.

This time around, those might include a stretch leather dress with a back panel in jersey, or a five-zip gilet with a jersey hood that blurs the lines about where one piece ends and another begins. The accordion pleated skirt shown on slide 26 isn’t just a stylist’s trick — it’s meant to be worn hiked up and folded over on the bias, an idea that also turned up as a babydoll dress. Tailoring got broad scope: a leather shirt might do double duty as a jacket; a padded pinstripe blazer might stand in for a coat; what started as a dress might eventually morph into a macintosh. An oversized cotton poplin shirt printed with x-es and dots nodded to the process of pattern-making, while blown-up prints inspired by exposed film rolls brought a cosmic pop of color. The team experimented with texture and finishes through streaked, faded denim, crinkled car coats, and shaggy faux furs. A denim jacket with suiting sleeves looked sharp (someone alluded to that one as a “nose” piece). Elsewhere, iridescent acetate jerseys, the kind usually used for track suits, were worked into bustiers and wide-legged trousers.

Speaking of sports, MM6 presented the third chapter in a collaboration with the French outdoor brand Salomon, featuring an icy blue take on the ACS running shoe style. The brand’s emblematic Japanese bag returned in large and mini sizes and finishes, notably a high-shine leather and a new fold-over version. A new family of nylon bags included a roll-top hybrid between a weekender and a messenger bag. At a time when fashion feels driven by whatever pops on-screen, MM6 is standing back and asking people to lean in. Those who take the time will find ample reward.