In these fractured, uncertain times, this MM6 Fall-Winter AVP collection seems to suggest that clothing can be both a mirror of the moment and a form of escape. In response to streetwear’s long, long arc, the studio turned away from a baggy, dressy, hooded aesthetic, and instead looked to a pre-streetwear past for a sense of belonging. Not so long ago, clothing was less about trends – let alone followers – and more about emotional engagement, with subtle nods to music, memory and art, and little need for qualifiers like ‘elevated’.
But what seems simple enough in these photos also deserves a closer look. Those lines on a sculptural shift in jersey? That’s a nod to the Stockman, the constant companion of every designer. The oversized shoulders that defined the house’s early days in the 1980s now return in a new version on a white wool pea coat that feels strangely cool again.
Another hallmark of the era was a washed satin bomber that somehow felt humble and opulent at the same time. Is it Sonic Youth? Couture? Maybe a bit of both, now over-painted to bring out the texture. Speaking of which, fur – either faux, like on a jacket, on the lining or as trim; or repeated as a print on jersey – might whisper Venus in fur to a certain generation, yet speak to another who might not understand the challenging subtext. And no context was needed for a few (real) shearling numbers; both looked like goalkeepers.
Other archival references were approached in the spirit of reinvention: an over-dyed chocolate skirt injected straightforward minimalism with a little more depth, while a pair of loose-fitting popover dresses had, on closer inspection, a quiet drama to them. There was a Duchampian resonance in ‘back-to-back’ trousers with front and back welt pockets, inside-out suits or jeans, overdyed jacquard dresses that nod to prom dresses from a distant past, and halter tops or skirts extrapolated from ’90s archive scarves. In other words, this was the kind of attitude that the brand’s foundation will come back to again and again and hold on to forever.
In menswear, the brand seems to have found its vocabulary: nothing too crazy or crazy, just jackets in shearling or leather, denims and coats with a pragmatic sensibility. Here, craft takes precedence over spectacle. This is, as the brand likes to say, ‘ready-when-worn’, distilled down to what really works – and it looks stronger. This is clothing meant for living, not just posting.