By now, it’s pretty apparent that I love featuring anything that happens backstage at Isabel’s shows.
I’m just more interested in seeing the “reality” of what it takes to put these shows together. I also
love seeing the models smile and be more relaxed, which can actually change how I feel about the
clothing versus the intense or somber stares they project on the runway. But really, any excuse
to feature Liu Wen on the blog is fine with me, she’s one of my favorite models!
These are probably my favorite backstage photos to surface because of how real the models look.
And if eating an apple makes a model look real to me, then so be it!
Images via DazedDigital
“You will not believe me, but I was inspired by those miserable days and nights in winter when you don’t want to go outside…I just thought about, if you have to go outside, how are you going to
do it so you look good but keep warm. No matter where you are—a party, a friend’s house,
or back outside where it’s cold—I wanted it to be easy to adjust from that cold, awful weather
to being inside and looking great the whole time.” – Isabel Marant
I posted this photo a couple days ago on Facebook to make sense of why Jessica Biel was randomly walking around Paris in head to toe IM a few months ago. Ahh, photo shoot. I just found this great behind the scenes video from Elle that has most of the designers, including Isabel, talking about
the shoot. It is long so if you find yourself just wanting to see Isabel Marant, skip to 3:15;
however, listening to all the designers is not boring in the least, especially Olivier (LOVE HIM!).
Image via FashionGoneRogue
Original Video // Elle //
This video by L’Oréal is actually a bit long to just watch models getting ready for a show, but I still
found it interesting to see how much work went into making all the models look natural for Isabel’s SS13 show. Can you even imagine what it feels like to go through this process all day long for
shows that last maybe five minutes? You’d have to tap into some major mental stamina…
Video via Youtube
All these backstage photos surfacing online are stunning, right? I cropped them so they wouldn’t
look so small on tMP, but check out Self Service’s original photos here. The composition
of these shots adds exponential impact to the focus on Isabel’s prints.
I can’t get enough…but seriously, if you’re tired of seeing SS13 backstage let me know!!!
Images via SelfService
Images via Refinery29, LaModellaMafia
“Each time when I am starting the collection I am having a theme, but I don’t want to stay too close
to an exact image otherwise it becomes too literal. For this collection, well, I have always loved
the Hawaiian print, and I thought of Elvis in Hawaii – that’s why he was on the soundtrack
for the show. Also I thought ‘what is summer?’ and ‘what is vacation?’
There were those pictures of Bardot and Birkin walking on the port in St. Tropez
in the early Seventies – wearing simple clothes but with an attitude and a confidence.”
- Isabel Marant
So I’ve had time to really look back at Isabel’s collection and take it all in. Paisley, Hawaiian print
and Elvis almost seems like a mean challenge to place on someone, but Isabel managed to pull it off
in a way that I didn’t mind. If I sound non-committal in that last sentence, it’s because I honestly am.
I have some favorite looks, but as her shorts and skirts get shorter, and her models get thinner,
I don’t know if I’ll have the attitude or confidence to pull them off. Like many of you, I’m also
looking forward to her Étoile line and keeping fingers crossed for some extra inches of fabric.
Some of you commented that this collection like others past will probably grow on you,
which made me wonder if that’s a good thing. What does that really say about the collection?
Still wondering…
Looking back at these photos makes me think a lot about Isabel’s upcoming show and wondering what she’s going to do. Someone on tMP’s Facebook page said that stars are going to be a big theme in her Spring collection, which you can already see in her SS13 sneakers here.
Her Fall collection has definitely grown more on me as I’ve seen it interpreted in editorials,
but I have to say or write that I’m really looking forward to Spring…
and saying goodbye to the West.
“I don’t really have an icon. I think it’s too much of a fantasy now. I’m more inspired by the women
on the street and it could be any woman. Sometimes it can even be a gesture. I remember I did a
whole collection about a woman I saw going down to the metro station. She had a very nice
neckline. I said okay, I want to work on her neck and see what clothing makes the neck come out.
It’s very subtle what makes me want to do something or not…There are certain kinds of women
I love, but they can be old women, young women, or any kind of woman, it doesn’t really matter.
It’s more about the way we are living and what is our relationship to garments. Why you choose
this piece over another.” – Isabel Marant
