I’m not that hard on him LOL Mostly the Egyptian collection. And his ideal of menswear never did quite lived up to the supremacy of his womenswear, so best to leave that component of his fashion vision by the wayside as well. (But what he’s proposing with androgyny in this offering, that references everyone from the court of Louis XVl to Marc Bolan is spectacularly rich without a hint of costume nor camp.)
More than anything, he never relied on past glories— and that includes the nostalgia of his Superfriends (…whom would have outperformed this cast so effortlessly with heh androgynous persona). I loath nostalgia in any creative form, from pop/matinee idols to fashion idols. And John thankfully seems to as well, and also remains the only designer that’s forged forward and never looked back, while still evolving his aesthetic and technical proficiency. I can’t say he’s my fav since a designer that doesn’t seem particularly interested in menswear will never be on the same level as one that’s as equally supreme in their vision of men as they are for women. But he’s still in a league of his own: His commitment, devotion, discipline and outright love of fashion— alongside his unmatched skills in construction, and deconstruction, is untarnished, undiminished and unrelenting, even after all these years. I can’t think of any other Greats who’s so dedicated on this level deep into their careers. He does seem possessed by the Holy Ghost of fashion as a true living Rumpelstiltskin: Every cut, every proportion, every color-palette, every texture, every sheer force of will in his vision of character is effortlessly on the highest level of standard— and never gimmicky. He’s that magical.
(BTW, fair enough that some find the performance of the cast distracting. That’s the charm, the theatricality, of John's production. John’s always bestowed this brand of possessing a collection and its presentation steeped in mood, attitude, tone of history, characters, and purpose. The fashions serve his characters, rather than just be empty mannequins wearing merchandise; which sadly, has become the norm in this fashion era. That John is still the master storyteller, while still honoring the Margiela brand, is what makes it worthwhile to have him. If it’s just going to be more Margiela staples, then just have a team design the routine merch.)