Afterglow: The Legacy Of The Past for Young and Booming
The pursuit of individuality is at the core of human aspiration. Whereas fashion was once the result of cultural and historical norms it is today the most prevalent source of self-expression. What unites us all is the desire to be unique.
I would like to take a deeper dive into the similarities of two designers from different epochs, who are unique in their careers and attitudes: Madame Alix Grès and Richard Malone. In expressing their individuality and applying their creative talents both have gone beyond established fashion slants.
Madame Alix Grès (1903-1993), is known as one of the most dazzling couturiers of the 20th century. Originally designed under the name “Alix”, her career lasted an astounding six decades from 1933-1988. After marrying Serge Czerefkov, a Russian painter, she opened her new house under the name Madame Grès, an anagram of her husband’s first name.
Interestingly, Madame Grès inspired Cristobal Balenciaga to open his own house in Paris. She had refused to hire him as she thought that he was too talented to work for someone else.
There have been countless exhibitions and retrospectives of her work around the world that let us take a closer look at the complexity and brilliance of the designer. Her ingenious creations have an unrelenting impact on designers through the decades to follow. Ralph Rucci, Issey Miyaki, Lloyd Klein, Yohji Yamamoto, Jean Paul Gaultier, Haider Ackermann, Roy Halston, Demna Gvasalia, and many others have all paid homage to Madame Grès jersey silk and taffeta creations. In the recent Fashion shows Madame Grès’ inspirations can be spotted as well. Take a closer look at the Balmain, Balenciaga, Ann Demeulemeester, Jonathan Simkah, Proenza Schouler, Marine Serre, among other collections, and you will definitely recognize Madame Grès influence.
Modern-day celebrities from Anne Hathaway to Natalie Portman have made recent red-carpet appearances adorned in cascading folds and intricate tucks and pleats inspired by Madame Grès ideas. Among the glitterati who wore Madame Grè iconic designs were Marlene Dietrich, Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Duchess of Windsor, and Edith Piaf. Barbara Streisand has famously posed in an Alix Grès creation for a 1966 Vogue Magazine Cover story.
Richard Malone is most talented Irish designer working between Wexford, Ireland and London. In 2014 Malone graduated from Central Saint Martin and that same year he won the LVMH Grand Prix scholarship and Deutsche Bank’s award for fashion. After graduation, his entire collection was purchased by Irish department store Brown Thomas Dublin. In 2020, a huge milestone in his career, Malone was the recipient of the International Woolmark Prize. The panelists praised his ‘radically transparent’ approach to work and go-to for authenticity, resourcefulness, and rebellious attitude. Malone’s talent to re-examine the concept of luxury impresses all fashion experts.
Wouldn’t have Grès said precisely the same? For that very reason, Madame Grès graceful aesthetics come undeniably from the hand of a master couturier. She was known for her technical consistency and precision which allowed her to create unique dresses of exquisite sculptural beauty.
Richard Malone is able to exaggerate the silhouette by expanding and shrinking clothes. He creates his collections by both drawing on history and by examining the facets of everyday people and the idiosyncrasies of style. Malone is known to celebrate diversity and, similarly to Madame Grès, invites us to question conventional fashion.
Three primary styles identified as distinct in the Grès designs are: the classically-inspired, “Grecian” style of her pleated gowns; the “ethnic” inspirations behind her simple, geometric designs; and the billowing, three-dimensional quality of her “sculptural” coats and gowns.
Appreciation and respect for the female form is evident in the designs and styles of Madame Grès. The dresses were flowing around the female form, celebrating it, and never vulgar for the sake of fashion. Her clothes were consistently dignified and classic throughout her long-spanning career.
The same could be said about Malone. He doesn’t go for compromises just to charm the fashion establishment. Despite being in an unpredictable and ever-changing industry where norms are always shifting Malone stays true to his morals and beliefs.
Similar to Madame Gres, Malone designs magical clothes that remind architectural creations and can be moulded up to the desires of a wearer. His artful approach to style and fashion is distinctly his own but reminiscent of Madame Grès. “I don’t like putting out images of the collection, and I absolutely hate runway images because it really flattens the designs, especially if you do something that’s sculptural. Obviously, it’s got to look nice on a runway image, but for me, it’s much more about the three-dimensional’ – says Malone. Three-dimensional - that exactly how Grès designs looked almost a century ago.
Richard Malone seems to overhear this quote. “We saw Richie’s unique and special talents from the very beginning. He greatly admires women and it’s evident in his work; his collections are intelligent, considered and make you feel empowered,” Lulu Kennedy told the Irish Examiner.
Both adhere to the philosophy that fashion is all about addressing the specialties and individualized nuances, and providing people with the opportunity to express that through clothes. Gres and Malone created garments that stretched far above the idea of what fashion is - stretch further than the medium of fashion. And both are known for celebrating women through thought-provoking unique garments.
Both designers’ creations are undeniably sculptural. Grès became a couturier after her conservative catholic parents discouraged her to pursue a career as a sculptor. Hence, she found a way of expressing herself in designing clothes. It became her medium. “I wanted to be a sculptor. For me, it is the same thing to work the fabric or the stone,” Grès once said. She was indeed a true sculptor of fabric. Remarkably, it resonates with Malone’s quote: “I’ve always been craft-driven in a sculptural and abstract way. I want to design and if one day I decide I want to do sculpture, I’ll do that. Fashion design is how I find myself expressing myself now.”
The designers’ professional recognition and accolades are quite notable. At the age of 69, Madame Grès was elected the president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, which is responsible for determining which fashion houses can be considered “haute-couture”.
Four years later, at the age of 73, she received the Golden Thimble award, Dé d'Or, the highest honor given by the Chambre Syndicale.
In 2017 the Museum of Modern Art in New York commissioned Malone, then just 26 years old, to create a piece for their exhibition “Items: Is Fashion Modern?”, their first fashion acquisition since Issey Miyake in 1967. Malone became one of the youngest artists in the museum’s permanent collection. The National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, has purchased a Malone’s catwalk look for their permanent collection. In 2018 Malone curated his own exhibition at the NOW Gallery in London called “Rinse and Repeat”. The exhibition allowed viewers to go behind the scenes of Malone’s creative process. In 2019 he was featured in an exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Of course, with the time that brought issues of ecology the designers’ approach to overusing the fabric is quite different. While both designers used fabric in extraordinary unique ways they did have a different attitude to this utilization.
Grès could take 2.8 meters (9 feet) of fabric and reduce it through pleating to 7 cm (2.8 inches). This technique provided volume and did not require any corseting or reinforcements. A single dress could take from 13 to 21 meters of fabric.
Malone is extremely conscious about the sustainability of fashion. He experiments with using recycled ocean waste as fabric, including recycling bottles to make beautiful woven fabrics. His technical jerseys are made from regenerated fishing nets which cause pollution to the oceans.
The idea behind his work is to present an alternative to normcore but also keeping with an effortless pragmatism. All of Malone’s garments come with pockets that can be machine-washed. He attributes his perfunctory approach to fashion to his working-class background. Both designers are au courant with their times. Madame Grès kept pace with modern fashion but merely followed design trends. So does Malone.
Both Madame Grès and Malone are extremely diligent, hardworking, and dedicated to their craft. By draping each garment by hand, swirling architectural creations, which could take anywhere up to three hundred hours to complete, Madame Grès elevated dressmaking to a whole new art form. Malone’s upbringing and history of hardship have also led him to be such a respected and important voice in the industry.
Both Madame Grès and Richard Malone celebrated the female form and lives of women and created impressive and brilliant genius tailored garments that showcase this respect.
Madame Grès dresses we can see in museums. Malone’s garments we can obtain. So, why don’t we experience thе flight-of-fancy and extravaganza in Malone’s creations? I’m in!
Collage: Lesya Pakharyna
