Martin Grant (Q3318)
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Martin Grant is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Martin Grant |
Martin Grant is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
He’s too discreet to toot his own horn, but Martin Grant has lived the expat designer’s dream in Paris for nearly 30 years. That wasn’t even the beginning: Having started his first business back home in Melbourne at 16 years old and made the pages of AustralianVogueat 18, he turned up in the City of Light a decade later with a degree in sculpture, zero connections, and proceeded to get straight to work. The turning point came in the mid-’90s, when Naomi Campbell did a turn in a show at the designer’s tiny Rue des Rosiers boutique. It’s the stuff of fashion lore; one doesn’t hear such stories much anymore.If Grant has turned down all manner of investment (not to mention plum jobs), in order to keep doing things his way, it’s because he’s clear on who he is and who he’s dressing. It would be easier to pull teeth than get him to name-drop, but the fact that clients like Lee Radziwill and Cate Blanchett became close friends speaks for itself. So, too, does the fact that the National Gallery of Victoria acquired hundreds of pieces in recent months just as Grant became, officially, French.Key shapes refined over decades were the backbone of a mostly understated fall collection of essential silhouettes several picked out with saddle stitching to highlight bone structure; Grant calls it the “skeleton collection.” Details, proportions, and shapes were ever-so slightly tweaked, for example on a black peacoat that also came in a perfecto style. The classic “car door” coat has evolved to be both collarless and cocoon-shaped. Topstitched jeans took casual dressing up a notch, as did cappuccino corduroy, tartan, and a sweeping forest green chubby.Evening looks shone: A black tuxedo jacket in the designer’s favorite silk and wool blend was paired with high-waisted, wide-legged trousers. Gold leopard-spot brocade—a couture fabric from a favorite French supplier that developed materials for Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent in the 1950s and ’60s—was handled with restraint, the glam factor amped up for the look book with jewelry pulled from the archives. Some of the season’s salient trends, like lamé, appeared in a gold jumpsuit or a beetle green blouse and pant, ready for the roaring ’20s moment everyone is expecting from Paris. A gold chocolate wrapper of a dress tied things up nicely.
11 March 2021
For several seasons now, Martin Grant has addressed various aspects of industry excess by carving out more lead time, focusing on the essentials, and sourcing fabrics either from existing stock or his own troves. Having edited his process, he spent lockdown purging 20-odd years’ worth of archives. About half are now on their way from Paris to the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. “It feels like the right time to pare things back in terms of style, in terms of clutter,” Grant said during a showroom visit. “I like the realness of working within parameters that exist. It’s not only designing, it’s problem-solving.”That word dovetails neatly with a collection that revisits classics in a more relaxed spirit—for example, a navy peacoat in soft Japanese milano jersey (the matching pants looked both crisp and comfortable) or an ecru trouser ensemble in textured crepe with a drawstring belt. Pajama-style looks—one in moss green silk and the other in fuchsia with navy trim—offered an elevated take on dressing to stay in, while a limited-edition evening coat in silvery, textured lamé that Grant’s been hanging on to for a decade begged for a night out on the town.With parties out of scope for the time being, the designer focused mainly on everyday looks, with a handful of staples in blue- or bordeaux-striped cotton; overalls in cornflower blue linen; high-waist jeans with topstitched pockets; a skirt in white daisy jacquard with a bit of transparency; a Parisian twist on a preppy summer check. Here’s betting that Grant’s base is exactly on that wavelength.
15 October 2020
Everyone’s talking sustainability these days, but if there were a prize this season for sustainable collections, arguably it would go to Martin Grant.That’s because the designer shopped his closet—or, more precisely, nearly two decades’ worth of fabric archives, plus his perennial selections—and picked up where he left off with pre-fall, upscaling dormant assets into timeless clothes. Whereas Grant’s pre-collection was 70 percent upcycled fabric, for fall he hit 100 percent. “With everything going so fast, and given so much waste, we wanted to do something that’s the opposite,” the designer said during a showroom visit.Fortunately, when he got around to actually sifting through stock in the Paris suburb of Clichy, he found meters and meters of materials that had never quite found their place. “Sometimes you have to let it sit there,” he said. By a great stroke of luck, none showed signs of age, moths, or critters.The designer stuck to the classic Parisian palette of mostly black, midnight blue, white, and gray, with a smattering of checks. One black-and-white coat was made from fabric that’s been waiting 15 years to have its moment. A reversible coat in felted wool and Prince of Wales check came with a matching skirt. An ink blue shearling morphed into what Grant calls his teddy bear coat, a hit among the ladies in his social circle. Elsewhere, he revisited one of his signature double-breasted coats in mohair check with wide leather trim, stretched a blouse style into a baby doll dress, and transposed a massive floral from a summer long gone by into a one-sleeve tunic style.As first-class travelers know, the Australian designer is a longtime collaborator with the airline Qantas, which is currently celebrating its centennial. That has given Grant a chance to play around with heritage branding motifs, like the flying kangaroo from 1968 and aerodynamic-style logos dating to the ’50s. Come fall, a capsule collection of shirts, sweaters, and totes will crop up in stores and airports all over the place. Like the pieces fashioned from Grant’s fabric stash, those are likely to become collector’s items.
29 February 2020
Next to his desk in his studio, Martin Grant keeps a meticulously curated bulletin board of glamorous swans, Lee Radziwill first among them. Though timeworn, the iconic 1968 shot of her passing by The Colony with Truman Capote, wearing a simple shirtdress, is a source of constant inspiration. Indeed, the shirtdress is now one of the designer’s signatures, and for Spring he neatly dovetails that staple with the workwear trend, making it about as sophisticated as it can be in blue-gray denim linen—so he shook things up a little by pairing it with bubblegum pink crystal-studded pumps.Speaking of pink, the designer also grows peonies on his Paris balcony, which was perhaps the inspiration for putting his current favorite nonbasic basic color, pollen yellow, with pink to striking effect on a yellow silk jersey top under a textured pink iteration of his workhorse single-breasted jacket, or on an exaggerated lavaliere blouse under that jacket in denim. The pink trench in coated linen with white trim was one of the strongest pieces in this collection.Grant’s discreet manner is lined with sly humor, so he couldn’t resist a detour onto Barbie’s turf: a short sleeveless body-con number, for example. That might prove to be a reach for the kind of customer who can afford these pieces. But his one-and-done dresses for day and night—a safari-light buttoned denim midi, a marigold taffeta trench, and a draped off-the-shoulder piece in silk jersey—will work this season, across seasons, and no doubt for many seasons to come.
1 October 2019
Martin Grant wants to amp up the spice a bit. He decided on turmeric because “it’s more vibrant than mustard.” Anyone leery of dabbling with yellows might want to take a cue from Grant’s playbook: He makes a compelling case for pairing it with his favorite color, navy, in a Japanese jersey with a nice structure that will travel anywhere with ease. He also tried it out in matte and shiny stripes and clean windowpane checks with ecru.Elsewhere, the designer took a few measured steps outside of his own comfort zone. A reliable source for sharply tailored, high-waisted trousers, Grant decided to explore a new shape as his jean of the season. The result is a more voluminous silhouette than he typically shows, a sort of cropped carrot-meets-cargo. He continued his exploration of volume primarily in dropped shoulders and batwing sleeves. A cocoon-shouldered shrug looked cool; a roomy sand-colored trench paired nicely with a turmeric base, and a sky-blue parachute dress with turmeric dots was one of the easiest throw-it-on pieces Grant has ever done. Of course, his base will find here the looks they rely on him for: a chic-as-it-gets white pantsuit, a peacoat, a deep-V jumpsuit, a few asymmetrical cocktail numbers.One gets the feeling that Grant is having fun pushing the limits. Last season’s one-legged number turned up on Lady Gaga last week, in her Vegas extravaganza. No doubt that will win him new followers, and more latitude, in the seasons ahead.
25 June 2019
Not only was the late Lee Radziwill one of Martin Grant’s early supporters, the two developed a friendship that lasted more than 20 years. “She’s always a part of it somewhere,” the designer said during a showroom visit. “The test point became: Would she like it or not?” Radziwill never missed a show, and she would tell Grant exactly what she thought. “She went through every period, and she would wear them all—even Zandra Rhodes, if you can imagine,” he recalled.Grant reckons Radziwill might have liked his ’60s-inflected white blouson with mirror leather trim for Fall. But overall he decided on a looser vibe. Take, for example, the reversible trench with black-and-white check on one side, bonded with a glossy russet coating on the flip side. “I wanted something that was a little more dynamic,” the designer explained. That same check returned on A-line skirts and in a cropped bomber. Further along, he decided to amp things up a bit, pairing a russet duchesse satin pantsuit with a violet sequined shell, or else showing that shimmering shell with a fuchsia pantsuit. Improbable as it sounds, it worked.Grant is a poised, considered designer: His sharp suit shot through with Lurex is the kind of piece that never goes out of style. Ditto the wisp of an asymmetrical silver top. So it came as something of a surprise to see him working a harder, frankly impertinent edge. A handful of numbers with petrol-finish sequins were smart, sophisticated, and flattering; the shocker of a punch line came in a one-shoulder/one-leg catsuit. “It takes me back to Debbie Harry days,” the designer joked. Throw on that burgundy shearling coat and you’re ready to hit the town. Radziwill it was not. “She was always very positive, but would have found that one completely ridiculous,” Grant said with a laugh.
2 March 2019
Martin Grant has lived in Paris long enough to have mastered the essence of French style: “It’s a cool mix of effortless simplicity and refinement,” he said. Grant could describe his own line the same way; his loyal cohort of customers, including plenty of French actresses, would surely agree. They appreciate the timeless quality of his designs, tweaked every season with slight updates in cut and proportion. Lee Radziwill, whose best-dressed-list credentials are impeccable, has been wearing Grant’s coats and dresses for decades.Pre-Fall revolved around pieces of easy sophistication; the beautifully cut outerwear included reversible wrap coats in dry Prince of Wales wool, round-shaped three-quarter-length balmacaans in navy or black cashmere, and straight-line peacoats in a charming shade of Titian red. The color palette was charming throughout—warm rust tones contrasted with an intense hue of forest green, accented by touches of soft pink and deep black. Tailoring was also one of the collection’s strong points. Pantsuits were cut sharp, either with abbreviated blazers nipped at the waist or with masculine-inspired elongated double-breasted jackets, worn with smart high-waisted wide-leg pants.Grant’s dresses are quintessentially feminine, without indulging frills, embellishments, or overt sensuality. Their purity of line has a certain aristocratic hauteur. Case in point were two standout numbers in emerald green silk, one with a plunging V-neckline and a trapeze skirt, the other a sinuous midi dress with billowing sleeves, cinched at the waist with a silver leather belt. They had sophistication and modernity in spades.Grant has been presenting a well-edited men’s collection for three seasons now; it had the same refined style and streamlined design as his women’s line. He used fabrics that allowed for the shapes, volumes, and the neat contours he favors: checkered wools, double cashmeres, thick wool felts. Suits and city coats were cut with precision but without any stiffness.
20 January 2019
Martin Grant has lived in Paris long enough to have mastered the essence of French style: “It’s a cool mix of effortless simplicity and refinement,” he said. Grant could describe his own line the same way; his loyal cohort of customers, including plenty of French actresses, would surely agree. They appreciate the timeless quality of his designs, tweaked every season with slight updates in cut and proportion. Lee Radziwill, whose best-dressed-list credentials are impeccable, has been wearing Grant’s coats and dresses for decades.Pre-Fall revolved around pieces of easy sophistication; the beautifully cut outerwear included reversible wrap coats in dry Prince of Wales wool, round-shaped three-quarter-length balmacaans in navy or black cashmere, and straight-line peacoats in a charming shade of Titian red. The color palette was charming throughout—warm rust tones contrasted with an intense hue of forest green, accented by touches of soft pink and deep black. Tailoring was also one of the collection’s strong points. Pantsuits were cut sharp, either with abbreviated blazers nipped at the waist or with masculine-inspired elongated double-breasted jackets, worn with smart high-waisted wide-leg pants.Grant’s dresses are quintessentially feminine, without indulging frills, embellishments, or overt sensuality. Their purity of line has a certain aristocratic hauteur. Case in point were two standout numbers in emerald green silk, one with a plunging V-neckline and a trapeze skirt, the other a sinuous midi dress with billowing sleeves, cinched at the waist with a silver leather belt. They had sophistication and modernity in spades.Grant has been presenting a well-edited men’s collection for three seasons now; it had the same refined style and streamlined design as his women’s line. He used fabrics that allowed for the shapes, volumes, and the neat contours he favors: checkered wools, double cashmeres, thick wool felts. Suits and city coats were cut with precision but without any stiffness.
20 January 2019
Martin Grant has been cultivating a continuum for several seasons now. Shifting toward what he calls “a single collection” that flows from one season into the next (and then the one after that) is one reason his clients are so loyal. Engaging with the bait and switch side of fashion is not their thing.Design-wise, that frees Grant up to rock out a little on color and shape when Fashion Week rolls around. Stepping away from the tumult of the tents and into Grant’s showroom is like taking refuge in a friend’s living room—albeit the polished, meticulously appointed, triple-salon variety. Any drama is left on the racks.One pomegranate evening gown had plenty of that: You can see how such an elementally feminine dress could be a problem-solver on the red carpet—with the added benefit of a concealed pocket and the fact that it was light as air (whether there’s a sly euphemism in this lookbook image is in the eye of the beholder). For a little extra coverage, one might opt for a plush coat in matching red, or a shell-like cape in white or black—drop it over your shoulders and you’re done. A drop-waist dress with an asymmetrical neckline nodded to the 1980s, but with the ease of a popover. In another vein, a sharp white smoking with a bandeau top and a choice of different-length jackets could go anywhere, red carpet or no.In a more casual, everyday vein, a grouping of coats or skirts in waterproof varnished khaki toile paired this season’s trend for shine with depth of color. A series of striped separates looked sharp and unfussy. Some of them, like a one-shouldered number, eased back toward evening. And so the cycle began anew.
29 September 2018
The Australian designer Martin Grant has more than 25 years under his belt in Paris, so this season he decided to step back and review the classics.“Since everything has gotten faster, I’ve decided to go the opposite way and slow it down completely,” he said during a showroom visit. To that end, he’s bringing back some of his (and his clients’) favorite archival styles, including, for example, the red funnel coat from 2008 that appears in the first photo here. Further along, a beige peacoat is from 2003. A fitted crinoline coat from 2016 itself descends from a coat the designer calls the “Mary Poppins,” from his first show in Paris. An asymmetrical cape, originally done in corduroy, now comes in trench material. Last season’s smart V-neck dress is back too, this time in poppy red.Limited editions are part of the mix, in runs of just 10 to 30 pieces. Those, denoted by a black label on the sleeve, may be in the same fabric, or not. Collectors and loyalists will probably jump at the graphic black and white dress, whipped up in remainders of the original fabric (matching up the seams took some acrobatics, the designer allowed).Grant’s point, of course, is that when a piece feels timeless, there’s no reason not to revisit it. It also helps that he’s held on to at least one of everything he’s ever done. “It feels quite nice. You can freshen up the length or the fabrication, but the style holds up,” he added. So does his sly sense of humor. A diamond-shaped sleeve on one smoking jacket is modeled after a classic Tabac sign (the “smoker’s smoking,” he joked).Which just goes to prove what the designer’s base has known all along: A Martin Grant piece doesn’t come cheap, but they know they’ll wear it forever.
27 January 2020
In a world obsessed with likes and followers, somehow Martin Grant manages to serenely go his own way. That places him among a tiny cluster of proven talents who would rather just stand behind their clothes, not in front of them. But that doesn’t mean he has lost touch with reality. If streetwear is where it’s at, he’s simply going to Grant-ify it.Relaxed staples such as hoodies, tops, and shorts came in lightweight bayadere striped tweed woven with just enough Lurex to catch the light; jeans were cut high-waisted and perfectly straight or flared; Perfectos were cropped to Spencer length; and white mesh tops were emblazoned at the center with a black circle, which is probably about as close as Grant will ever come to actually doing a logo.Since launching menswear last season, the designer has seen some cross-current action: A few women have gravitated to men’s pieces (after all, not everyone can work a nipped waist), but even more surprisingly, some men have been reaching for Grant’s amply cut women’s pieces—his shearling jacket was a breakout in that department. This season’s contenders included a travel-friendly navy windbreaker in technical fabric (ostensibly for men) and reversible coats in khaki and blush, one with a hood and savvy side-zip details.A neutral color story the designer calls “Karen Blixen comes to Paris” incorporated workwear details such as belts run through oversize metal eyelets on swingy, ’70s-inspired skirts, dresses, and trenches in cotton twill. Up the dressing scale were a khaki blouse made of a whisper of lacquered organza, a long blush satin top with this season’s boatneck collar, and a long circle-skirt dress in black poplin that could go just about anywhere. “It’s about my obsession with uniforms,” said Grant. For latter-day Denys Finch Hattons, standouts included a pared-back bomber in butter-soft leather and an elongated tuxedo shirt; for statement-makers, there were striped flares and a single-breasted suit in blush.Clearly, Grant is having fun with a more casual register. That, plus a spate of recent red carpet moments—courtesy of Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams, and a few young French actresses—prove that following one’s own path can be its own reward.
23 June 2018
In a world obsessed with likes and followers, somehow Martin Grant manages to serenely go his own way. That places him among a tiny cluster of proven talents who would rather just stand behind their clothes, not in front of them. But that doesn’t mean he has lost touch with reality. If streetwear is where it’s at, he’s simply going to Grant-ify it.Relaxed staples such as hoodies, tops, and shorts came in lightweight bayadere striped tweed woven with just enough Lurex to catch the light; jeans were cut high-waisted and perfectly straight or flared; Perfectos were cropped to Spencer length; and white mesh tops were emblazoned at the center with a black circle, which is probably about as close as Grant will ever come to actually doing a logo.Since launching menswear last season, the designer has seen some cross-current action: A few women have gravitated to men’s pieces (after all, not everyone can work a nipped waist), but even more surprisingly, some men have been reaching for Grant’s amply cut women’s pieces—his shearling jacket was a breakout in that department. This season’s contenders included a travel-friendly navy windbreaker in technical fabric (ostensibly for men) and reversible coats in khaki and blush, one with a hood and savvy side-zip details.A neutral color story the designer calls “Karen Blixen comes to Paris” incorporated workwear details such as belts run through oversize metal eyelets on swingy, ’70s-inspired skirts, dresses, and trenches in cotton twill. Up the dressing scale were a khaki blouse made of a whisper of lacquered organza, a long blush satin top with this season’s boatneck collar, and a long circle-skirt dress in black poplin that could go just about anywhere. “It’s about my obsession with uniforms,” said Grant. For latter-day Denys Finch Hattons, standouts included a pared-back bomber in butter-soft leather and an elongated tuxedo shirt; for statement-makers, there were striped flares and a single-breasted suit in blush.Clearly, Grant is having fun with a more casual register. That, plus a spate of recent red carpet moments—courtesy of Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams, and a few young French actresses—prove that following one’s own path can be its own reward.
23 June 2018
Martin Grant may be the most serene designer in Paris this week. He’s used the past few seasons to focus on a baseline and give himself the luxury of time. Having presented the core of his women’s—and now men’s—pre-collections a scant month ago, today the designer gave himself the freedom to indulge in a little more color and coax a couture feel from ready-to-wear.He seemed to be having fun. Softer, feminine looks nodded to disco and skewed more towards after-dark, with rich textures and a flash of Lurex in violet, bronze, and gold. Pastels got play in the pairing of easy blush-color trousers with a buttercup velvet top. In the past, Grant has tended to favor one color statement; here, buttercup, lavender, caramel, and plum hues combined in looks that skewed slightly ’70s, tipping into the ’80s. Representing the former era was a djellaba midi-length dress shot through with gold. The latter came through in asymmetrical looks—a slim cocktail dress in double duchesse satin with an asymmetrical flounce and a snap-in “flower bow” for volume; a one-shouldered gold dress or a ruffled burgundy top. This season’s version of the smoking was a short-cropped jacket with a high-waisted, carrot-leg trouser. The LBD sported a sensual flounce down the middle. Another ensemble, a trouser suit and long jacket in a couture-level ecru wool and Lurex jacquard, whispered luxury.
3 March 2018
Martin Grant’s move into menswear makes so much sense you have to wonder why he didn’t do it sooner. Early on, before moving to Paris and launching his own label, he designed menswear for Koji Tatsuno in London. What’s more, fashion friends have been needling him about his crossover potential for years. “Itiseasier for a woman to wear a man’s jacket than the other way around,” said Grant with a laugh.Then came a twin catalyst: A year ago, the French actor Vincent Dedienne asked Grant to make him a tuxedo for the Molière Awards (which he won). Around the same time, Grant realized that he needed a coat, but . . . cobbler’s son and all that. “I thought,It has beenyearssince I took the time to make something for myself,” the designer recounted during a studio visit. “Like, maybe 15.”So, he finally got around to it. The two coats he made for himself, a sharp-shouldered peacoat and a sporty wool-and-shearling number, became the base for a collection that includes sharp suiting with either classic or the designer’s signature asymmetrical closure, plush knits, plus a few stronger fashion statements including a caramel coat in jumbo corduroy and a midnight blue shearling that women will covet, too (he’s got them covered). For the fearless, there’s the maxed-out plaid suit in men’s or women’s versions.For women, the designer continues to focus on quietly luxurious daywear, with a lightweight denim shirtdress or trousers, a sweaterdress, a dress in lightweight wool with asymmetrical topstitching, and lush shearlings, notably one in ecru and rosy beige. For evening, there’s a black jumpsuit in lightweight jersey, a dress in transparent jacquard that Grant calls “the fishnet,” or a dramatic cape in bronze satin.This collection also marks another turning point for the designer: From now on, Grant will show the lion’s share of his collections in January and July, and then drop in “runway” pieces during Paris Fashion Week as he sees fit. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. too.
25 January 2018
Martin Grant’s move into menswear makes so much sense you have to wonder why he didn’t do it sooner. Early on, before moving to Paris and launching his own label, he designed menswear for Koji Tatsuno in London. What’s more, fashion friends have been needling him about his crossover potential for years. “Itiseasier for a woman to wear a man’s jacket than the other way around,” said Grant with a laugh.Then came a twin catalyst: A year ago, the French actor Vincent Dedienne asked Grant to make him a tuxedo for the Molière Awards (which he won). Around the same time, Grant realized that he needed a coat, but . . . cobbler’s son and all that. “I thought,It has beenyearssince I took the time to make something for myself,” the designer recounted during a studio visit. “Like, maybe 15.”So, he finally got around to it. The two coats he made for himself, a sharp-shouldered peacoat and a sporty wool-and-shearling number, became the base for a collection that includes sharp suiting with either classic or the designer’s signature asymmetrical closure, plush knits, plus a few stronger fashion statements including a caramel coat in jumbo corduroy and a midnight blue shearling that women will covet, too (he’s got them covered). For the fearless, there’s the maxed-out plaid suit in men’s or women’s versions.For women, the designer continues to focus on quietly luxurious daywear, with a lightweight denim shirtdress or trousers, a sweaterdress, a dress in lightweight wool with asymmetrical topstitching, and lush shearlings, notably one in ecru and rosy beige. For evening, there’s a black jumpsuit in lightweight jersey, a dress in transparent jacquard that Grant calls “the fishnet,” or a dramatic cape in bronze satin.This collection also marks another turning point for the designer: From now on, Grant will show the lion’s share of his collections in January and July, and then drop in “runway” pieces during Paris Fashion Week as he sees fit. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. too.
25 January 2018
Martin Grant is kind of over the red carpet. Not that his Spring collection was devoid of options—quite the contrary. It’s just that he feels it’s time to take things down a notch.“The red carpet has been around for some time; at times it can even look dated, so I wanted to make evening cooler,” the designer remarked during a showroom appointment. “There’s a need for eveningwear, but it needs to fit with day. Unless it’s for a ceremony, clients want it to be easier, more casual. Actresses are asking for that, too.”Grant started by bisecting one of his signature trenches, separating the elements into a cropped jacket and a button-down skirt with a slightly longer back panel and side slits. Or hewing an easy trench out of paper-thin, crinkly silver material. Then one day Grant noticed a neighbor in the Marais townhouse where he has his studio—a woman who, like him, steps onto her balcony for a cigarette. In retro Parisian style, she always wears a housecoat over her clothes. So Grant seized on the idea and spun it out in denim workwear pieces, such as a loose trench, wide-legged trousers, and several kinds of jumpsuit, always with deep, practical pockets and geometric topstitching. Elsewhere, he fashioned thick, structured jersey into an hourglass gown or sports-influenced separates paired with a pink taffeta cape or an emerald taffeta skirt.A handful of key pieces for evening included dresses and skirts with fringe, a new addition to the designer’s repertoire that he decided to add after using it for a commission from a private client. That little extra shimmy, in gently asymmetrical tiers of navy, nude, or navy and emerald green, could well prove a new Grant classic. “It’s evening, but it’s cool. You could even throw it over jeans or trousers,” the designer mused. “That’s where I think it’s going.”
1 October 2017
After repeatedly situating his lookbook images within his tasteful Marais studio, Martin Grant took a different, darker direction for Resort. Conceived and shot by photographer Daniel Roché, the makeshift black backdrop and body language of the models sans makeup made the point that the collection reads soigné no matter the setting. Plus, while consistency remains among the designer’s strengths, change is the lifeblood of fashion. Changes within the collection were limited yet relevant; namely, the parachute dresses with their free-form volumes and lightness controlled only at the neck by a leather drawstring. Something like this could come in handy for any number of occasions. Other volume modifications were more structured, including an architectural sleeve that appeared shapely in profile but narrow from the front, and a bell sleeve supported from within by tulle.Anytime Grant does something pronounced, it is always proportional; you can see this in the timelessly chic trench with its cape overlay and his signature elongating, wide-leg jeans and pants—the pair in green, extra vivid. But don’t underestimate the subtler pieces in sandy pink textured linen; the shade was such that it favored all skin tones, while the weight favored (almost) all seasons. Obviously, the final looks in their high-contrast pattern of offset circles were special-occasion specific, but the fabulous impression they made—Oskar Schlemmer Bauhaus meets ’80s Beverly Hills bash—is unlikely to fade over time. And when it was suggested that the ladylike polka dot dress lashed with Lurex called to mind a sleek update on theWorking Girlwardrobe, Grant said he was thinking more “Princess Diana meetsPretty Woman.” See, soigné through and through.
27 June 2017
Martin Grant’s unadorned approach is partly what makes his proposition consistently attractive to a wide spectrum of women. To this extent, the embroidery executed in India that he introduced for Fall qualifies as a pretty big deal. Similar to a Rorschach test, the pattern is open to interpretation. Perhaps you see a flame, a floral close-up, or maybe even a radicchio. The point is, it was overdue and its presence—along with the clusters of matte sequins scattered like flower buds—enhances the clothes with welcome vitality. There were other signs that this was a more charismatic proposal from the Paris-based, Australian designer, including an eye-catching caban in plush wool treated to mimic shearling and a puff-shouldered matte silver dress that would turn heads at any gathering. The pajama-inspired dusty tie blouse and wide trouser in dusty rose might not be as widely received as the blue velvet jumpsuit, but his use of pink as outerwear played out well (the classic men’s style had a slight edge over the one double-faced with gray).While Grant has always been a proponent of pantsuits, they’ve never been more on trend. If the precisely tailored crimson suit in wide corduroy velvet offered something different a.m. to p.m., the swagger was off the charts with his ivory double-breasted jacket and extra-wide pant, which he proudly confirmed paid its respects to David Bowie. Even the impressionistically painted trees that came from a 19th-century theater by way of the antique market were an indication that Grant was seeking to cast the collection with greater character. The effort will not go unnoticed. Certainly those who already swear by his classics will appreciate how he knows the drama must be timeless.
8 March 2017
Anyone who thinks Martin Grant delivers much of the same season after season isn’t looking carefully enough. While it’s true he clings to timeless polish with little risk, he holds his collections to high standards, so that each one presents a well-considered revision of what has come before. “I like having that consistency,” he said from his Marais showroom, where his Pre-Fall lineup covered all the mainstays with subtle newness.To his default register of black and navy, he integrated a warm burgundy best represented by both a sturdy felted duffle coat and a vaguely Western button-front leather culottes, in addition to a deep mimosa which had a pleasing presence as a floaty shirtdress ringed in bias-cut ruffles. A grouping in a non-color mix of wool and jute was a strong stand-in for denim, especially as a mid-season trench or the all-season wider leg “jeans.” Even though Grant generally offers a balance between the enveloping egg and cocoon shapes and silhouettes that don’t allow for much wiggle room, this season he seemed less focused on the latter, his requisite jumpsuit benefiting from an elasticized waist and forgiving fluidity.In his native Australia, the Pre-Fall delivery arrives roughly as winter is getting underway so, in fact, the see-now-buy-now notion is automatic as far as his coats are concerned. In this part of the world, his regular clients buy theirs early, and the seemingly masculine style softened by raglan sleeves would be a solid choice. The bomber cardigan in trimmed “spazzolino” alpaca was so stealthily sumptuous that anyone who can spring for it should.
21 January 2017
Martin Grantfocuses on his silhouettes as if they’re a fine art. He is constantly finessing the lengthening effect of his trousers and jumpsuits, and creates cocktail dresses that look good from up close and afar. With this collection, a greater emphasis on a graphic print proved just how precise he can be.Three stripe variations, plus an interlocking linear maze that Grant dubbed, “The Labyrinth,” boast flawless alignment no matter the placement or material. The bias-V version would have been especially challenging for the in-house atelier. While Grant says he decided to pursue the pattern variations while on summer holiday in Greece, the statements spanned stylized nautical stripes for the seaside to sharp and structured for the city. Pretty much all of it went with the custom platform cork Louboutins. But the broader consequence of these pieces is that they will stand out in stores, which matters when much of the offering exists in neutral tones. Grant admitted as much, saying, “I privilege the plain, but more and more I enjoy prints and graphics and I understand that they attract the eye. People need that to get to the blacks.” The whites and caramels, too.Once customers are there, they’ll see that Grant has proposed some fresh takes on his brand favorites, namely, the crisp trench and complementary pants, which read heavier than they are in reality. Grant noted how the cotton voile shirts and tiered dresses are heat wave–approved; we’ll take his word. He employed leather drawstrings throughout this offering to encourage multiple ways of wearing; the ankles of a sleeveless jumpsuit, for instance, can be cinched or left loose. For all Grant’s ways of controlling his garments, he left a billowing tent of sheer georgette open to interpretation. Twirl around in it and you’ve almost got performance art.
2 October 2016
FollowMartin Grantfor long enough and you know he’s not one for flowers. But there they were this season, as unfloral and abstracted as possible without being mistaken for anything else. In yellow and tan, they filled the space of several pieces, including a one-sleeved scarf dress and the designer’s soigné version of a pajama ensemble. He also streamlined their numbers, scattering just a few across the décolletage of a gown in sheer georgette, eliminating the need for accessories. The grouping showed Grant’s openness to new ideas, as long as they assimilate within his well-established point of view. Other noteworthy updates included a “diamond” sleeve constructed with seams just below the elbows of an ivory double-breasted jacket; the faceted shape was structured and chic—and nestled nicely into the waistline. He used white ribbon appliqué to trace the outlines of a seasonless black trench and djellaba-inspired dress; he likened the effect to an X-ray, but the more obvious reading was that these were go-to options for art openings.Indeed, Grant’s mention of Marella Agnelli and Babe Paley reaffirmed his high-society-hostess positioning. Muses like that afford him an opportunity to think a little theatrically. Among the highlights: a billowing striped maxi shirtdress, palazzo pants and a jumpsuit in indigo linen that he called his “couture jeans,” and a ’70s-style skirt and robe coat in luxuriously smooth cognac suede. Addressing the tedious issue of weather, he proposed a water-repellant trench the color of an overcast Parisian sky. Shake things up and wear it with little else.
1 July 2016
Martin Grantuses color so judiciously that you might see one or two tones per season, max. But in his Marais showroom today, where he presented slightly more than two dozen looks, a deep bottle-green hue made itself known.On an elegant trench, on a vaguely vintage leather skirt that sat just above the natural waist, and on a glazed woven raffia cocktail dress, that shade made a strong case against those who might write it off as retail unfriendly. But Grant never treats newness as novelty, which explains why he’d rather revisit the same figure-flattering silhouettes in various fabrications than deviate from his sophisticated standards. To wit, the graphic striped material for a flared dress and a pullover was actually tweed cut on the bias, its seams meticulously matched. And the metallic botanical motif that could easily be mistaken for brocade was far more diaphanous and the perfect choice for Grant’s draped and belted interpretation of a pareo and for a timeless minidress with puffed sleeves. He used silk cupro for a ball-gown skirt; that piece, and the collection as a whole, will attract the type of woman who prefers her drama understated.To be sure, Grant’s clothes were never so challenging as to require contemplation; you knew immediately whether a wide-leg halter jumpsuit and a salt-and-pepper Perfecto finished with grosgrain are pieces you’d like to add to your wardrobe; his smoking, with its slightly fuller body, and knife-pleated trousers would be an automatic yes for most. Produced as always byChristian Louboutin, his new shoe design introduced a thicker heel than his default stilettos. The black ones would go with anything—but so too would the ones accented in green.
7 March 2016
ForMartin Grant, the Pre-Fall season is prime time for proposing the all-important coat lineup, from double-face wool angora to sturdy and felted. As he tells it, a fair number of his clientele still invest in new outerwear months before the weather catches up. Two notable updates: a tailored military style—either waist- or knee-length—plus a coat-cape hybrid with squared-off slits in lieu of sleeves and deep pouch pockets. A Watteau back on a hooded car coat might best be described as fairy-tale mod. Like a wardrobe item incarnated from Proust, the smoking coat with its flattened shawl collar deserved to be called timeless.For all the outerwear, Grant paid as much attention to going out. His oversize Lurex houndstooth brocade in black, bronze, or midnight blue could satisfy any dress code on one’s social calendar. Moreover, he had options for the obvious preferences: super-slim pants worn with a tinsel turtleneck or kimono-sleeve tunic top; a wasp-waist cocktail dress; or a dramatic, deeply vented ball skirt.If the collection risks a “business as usual” shrug, Grant counters that the consistency is what keeps women coming back. With the coats, for instance, repeat customers either return seeking a re-edition or come knowing they’ll find its next-gen version. And this season, as much as any other, Grant delivered.
22 January 2016
Post-show,Martin Grant’s supporters congratulated him on what they felt was his best collection yet. Not that they were wrong, but it prompts the question: based on what? Here’s one theory: It felt thoughtfully composed. Grant picked up where his pre-collection left off by reintroducing the linen-wool blend that he uses in place of denim, as well as the silk organza feathery tinsel, aka his “summer fur.” And once again, he barely left the confines of black, warm white, and navy. The prints—a paint splotch and a medley of stripes—were created by hand and counterbalanced the rough-hewn silk and double-face cotton with rhythmic lift.There’s a chance that Grant’s women offered such unanimous praise because he left out the pieces that, in previous seasons, existed to attract younger customers to the label. Instead, he seems to have realized that neckline emphasis is good, waistline emphasis is better, and slimming emphasis is best of all—no matter the age. Furthermore, the eveningwear options—from chemise and ball skirt to elongating jumpsuit—oozed urbane chic.Ultimately, Grant doesn’t leave a writer with much to report—no theme, inspiration, muse, or talking points—which might give the false impression that the collection was light on ideas. Was it his best? Perhaps only Grant is equipped to judge. But judging against his recent endeavors, it was right up there.
5 October 2015
The first look in Martin Grant's lineup would suggest he set the tone for his Resort collection with a pair of high-waist, wide-leg denim pants—except they were actually linen and wool. No doubt his customers already have a few standby pairs of jeans in their wardrobe, so the designer rightly figured he would propose something finer yet familiar. And this pretty much sums up Grant's modus operandi, whether he's slimming the shoulders of a trench in cotton silk or revisiting a summer-weight leather skirt. With Grant, you're never entirely sure whether his natural state is nonchalance or perfectionism, and these extremes find a happy medium in his clothes; consider that he eschews closures on jackets because they present as "fussy" but also because, without them, the pieces look "more couture." To his credit, he never dwells on his ideal woman—it's far too limiting a construct—even though the leggy jumpsuits and short shorts would indicate she's got great stems. And not that these details matter much to the average reader, but he's a font of fabric knowledge, gently clarifying that a crisp, all-season pant is wool gazar or a body-grazing dress is chintzed linen.Despite paring back print and color, ostensibly using cobalt blue stripes to stand in for both, Grant didn't abandon texture. Would you have guessed that his "summer fur" is organza fringe enhanced with Lurex? Soft and unapologetically shaggy, it gave the elegant collection a shock of chic eccentricity. With any luck, you will remember the full skirt or unstructured jacket, if not the swishy dress, just as the holidays roll around.
29 June 2015
Martin Grant invited guests into his newly expanded showroom today, directing a runway through the salons that, for years, he eyed from across the courtyard. The fresh white walls and buffed parquet provided an appropriate backdrop for a collection that excelled in understated polish. The Paris-based Australian designer is no provocateur; he would rather send out several permutations of a precisely tailored trapeze coat than pad his lineup with directional styles. A skirt in extra-dense caramel Mongolian fur and a metallic silk brocade resembling birchbark were his most notable attempts at novelty.Consequently, the eye scanned for other details and found them in the optical illusions Grant employed to accentuate leanness: wraparound leather belts for waist emphasis, cropped maxi skirts that made legs appear longer, jumpsuits that grazed the body, and cutouts placed at the lower back, where little excess collects. All those trapeze shapes now made sense: They, too, aimed to redistribute the silhouette. "I wanted it to be about luxury and class," Grant said after the show. This might have been a polite way of hinting at the inextricable, aspirational relationship between rich and thin. If you really think about it, the signaling was as subtle as Grant's liquid silver gown.
7 March 2015
Martin Grant's Pre-Fall lineup began with a gray wool angora coat that flashed back to early Dior; its flattering shape was near flawless, as were the ensuing 17 looks. This season Grant played to his strengths—mainly high-class coats that didn't bother being trendy, and multipurpose pieces that measured up to any standard of sophistication. The designer noted that his outerwear sells early and well; hence the variety, from a sturdy military number to a swingy coat in neutral tweed. An alpaca sweater coat in shades of gray enveloped without excess. Much else was long, lean, and occasionally leopard; Grant said this was the first time in his 20-year career that he'd used animal spots. Those pieces felt playful. Conversely, the suppleness of his mid-length leather skirt suggested much finessing. But for Grant that's common practice, and he singled out the Mongolian lamb fur accents that required careful tailoring to control the poufy volume.Certainly, if you had any doubt that Grant's clothes could be easygoing, the model in look 3 may have overcompensated. While it's tempting to call his output ladylike, that would undermine his eye for fluid silhouettes that flirt in hushed tones (more audibly when slits are involved). Not every designer need be a provocateur.
22 January 2015
Martin Grant had taken a pause from runway shows for a few seasons. Today, in the gilded salons of the Shangri-La Hotel, the former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte's grandnephew, he seemed keen to show off a somewhat younger positioning. As noticeable clues, he alternated tiny waists and deep-V necklines throughout the collection, while never altering the level of sophistication that keeps women like Lee Radziwill (who was in attendance) coming back.A shift in fabric focus gave Grant more room to play; he opened the show with an inky blue trench in PVC-coated chiffon, whose suppleness he liked so much that he recast it elsewhere as a blouse and skirt. When Grant worked both sides of a polka-dot jacquard, he ended up with a lively pattern contrast. Further on, he aimed toward head-turning impact with looks in allover gold Lurex and a patterned grouping borrowed from Greek embroidery and printed onto both heavy silk and linen. If a strapless teacup dress over a crisp, darkly dyed pair of denim pants seemed déjà-vu Dior, it also captured how Grant reached his youthful goal via chic juxtaposition rather than uncharacteristic digression. But it's worth dwelling on the jumpsuits, which he proposed in the aforementioned Lurex knit as well as a billowy navy chiffon that he belted in the front. This look, along with several others, definitely deserved an audience.
28 September 2014
Martin Grant doesn't think fashion is all about him. He only recently took to Instagram. He's hopeless at name-dropping, though it is well documented that friends like Cate Blanchett and Lee Radziwill have supported him from the outset. And when Cameron Diaz appeared inThe Other Womanwearing his dress, the designer did not fire off a single e-mail. Grant figured that those who know, know. It's about the clothes.He doesn't talk up inspirations, either, but he allowed that Resort is about more chic, refined daywear. One key piece was what Grant called the "car door": a mid-thigh-length, raglan-sleeved coat in washed duchesse satin and neutral colors (black, white, navy, mocha, or bronze). "It's the perfect nothing, but it's everything," the designer remarked. Worn with Grant's high-waisted slim trousers or even just jeans, it definitely could go almost anywhere.Favorite graphic flourishes, notably optical checks and polka dots, cropped up on bias-cut skirts, wide trousers, and crisp blouses with a smart triple-cravat detail. One sleeveless black cotton dress featured a dot so large there was room for only half of it. Semicircular silhouettes had more or less swing depending on the fabric: There was a peacoat with a swing back, a shorter "car door" in cotton, and a sleeveless blue viscose dress that balanced sportiness and sexiness. Meanwhile, another Grant signature, the smart little trench, appeared this season in a complexion-flattering shade of nude.
1 July 2014
Gilles Bensimon shot the images that reveal Martin Grant's latest collection. Apparently their friendship goes back many years; beyond that, the designer was intent to have a very particular purity of light that he knew the photographer could capture. For Grant, the whiteness felt imperative not just because it established an immediate contrast to the black, navy, gray, and fuchsia; to him, those sailor coats, cocktail dresses, and gala gowns represent a grouping of essentials that pare back his brand to what matters most.If you sense an eighties feel to them, your era-radar is working well. Grant successfully resisted retrograde motion by emphasizing updated fabrications—or at least reissued ones, as was the case with a gold-flecked diamond brocade that was once produced by the esteemed Abraham Ltd. (the now-defunct Swiss fabric maker for Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Bill Blass). Grant applied plucked beaver fur as trim on an LBD, sourced smooth alpaca for coats, and used wool-angora for knits. In selecting a micro-quilted silk satin for an evening gown, the designer let you know he remains game for a surprise or two. One of the best pieces was a flawless bustier pantsuit, its legs echoing the wider sailor shape Grant offered in his daywear. Alas, the bodysuits that formed the foundation of his Spring collection were nowhere to be found. Grant said he considered a part two but concluded that a perfect pant and sweater would be this season's base. His approach made sense commercially, although it lacked sizzle. Thank goodness for that fuchsia body-con dress.
28 February 2014
The first thing you saw when you walked into Martin Grant's presentation today was a bodysuit. Black, with a deep scoop in front and a racerback, it was made from a double-face acetate, the designer explained, so it sucks you in, lifts you up, and smooths you out. Just about everything a girl could ask for. Bodysuits were the foundation of the collection. Grant used one as the bodice of a party dress with black tulle skirts that blossomed on top of crinoline; another was teamed with a ball skirt in a graphic black and tan diamond jacquard of Grant's own design. The proportions looked just right.Grant has made a success of himself with his responsiveness to clients' needs. Not every occasion calls for something clingy, he knows, so he had other options, the best among them an elegant short-sleeved black coat with crinoline at the hips. There was also an exceedingly well-cut sheath in tonal black jacquard. Grant's ambitions here weren't grand, but the collection's narrow focus ensured he was able to lavish his prodigious dressmaker's skills on each look. The intimate presentation on mannequins put those talents into sharp relief.
27 September 2013
Martin Grant gave Lee Radziwill a kiss when he came out for his bow. Her name is all you need to hear to get a sense of the well-mannered and well-executed clothes on his runway today—and they weren't just for doyennes, either. Grant has an eye for the classic, which is why his front row is lined with the top brass from all the big department stores, but he's close enough to the center of things for his collections to feel of-the-moment.Statement coats are a trending topic at the collections, and Grant has his own things to say on the subject. He opened with a tweedy navy style, collarless, with three buttons, rounded shoulders, and full bracelet sleeves. Something about the sleeves, in particular, made it look fresh. A pair of bell-shaped capes followed, and they, too, had an elegant, efficient way about them. Another coat came with a spill of ruffles down one side.Beyond outerwear, reality-chic wardrobe essentials like a black pantsuit, a slim but not tight pencil skirt, and the perfect pair of cropped trousers rounded out the collection. Representing the things you didn't know you needed but suddenly would be thrilled to have were a midnight blue panne velvet turtleneck-sweatshirt hybrid and a sheer black blouse with a cascade of ruffles that would make a clever cocktail look with the right pair of pants. Evening got short shrift here, but that's a minor complaint about what was otherwise a fine show.
1 March 2013
Understatement is an undervalued quality in fashion. Martin Grant specializes in it. That means what his clothes lack in bells and whistles they make up for in wearability, which in turn explains why his front row is always packed with retailers—not to mention the legendarily chic Lee Radziwill. Grant didn't let them down this morning, sending out a polished collection in shades of white, navy, black, and red with hits of burnished gold.The solid colors meant his silhouettes had to do most of the talking. Bishop sleeves on a little red cocktail number and a black coat-dress had drama to spare; ditto the stand-up gold collar of the show-opening navy top. And there was a lot of action at the hips, thanks to his fresh tweaks to the been-everywhere peplum. His came split up the middle to, say, reveal a pair of shorts underneath a party dress.A trio of color-blocked dresses—one knee-length, two long, and all belted—stood out not for their cut but for their simplicity. Ease is another underrated virtue, and it too is integral in Grant's playbook. Nothing captured it better here than a plunge-front gown in black and white bisected by a burnished gold waistband.
28 September 2012
This season Martin Grant opted for a presentation on mannequins instead of a show: Judging from these clothes, it was a switch that suits him well. Though Grant claimed he designed the collection just as he always does, the lineup had a quietly grounded and focused sensibility that made it pleasing for an editor but a bigger-than-usual dream for the designer's ever-satisfied retailers.That seemed partly due to the increase in daywear. Those narrow, straight black trousers that started things off were beautifully cut. Paired with a shawl-collar coat or a houndstooth intarsia turtleneck with skinny ribbed sleeves, casual and slightly cool elegance never came so easy. Grant rejected the idea that his lack of needing to make a big runway statement turned things casual, but he did drop down another notch with the sporty, almost lounge-like element of silk jumpsuits pieced with ribbed knit.The beauty of a static presentation was seeing Grant's details up close, like the sculpted petal-like sleeves on a little nipped-waist black wool gazar dress, or the almost surgically precise piecing of leather and wool on the shift with the blown-up houndstooth motif. Grant said he felt he was going back to his roots, and that made sense. There was a sense of highly refined staples—the perfect LBD, the perfect black gown, the perfect black coat. His rarefied clientele will likely take the opportunity to stock up.
2 March 2012
If you blinked at Martin Grant, you probably missed one of the most reality-worthy trompe l'oeil effects this season: a perfect little belted taffeta coat-dress designed with a front flap so as to look like a skirtsuit. Stick a fork in you, you're chic. It's the kind of precise, can't-fail piece that lands Lee Radziwill in Grant's front row every season.But his major story for Spring was color, mostly yellow, to which the designer says he's usually averse. It was perfect in the zippy hem of a khaki trench, echoed in lemony Louboutin sandals below. However, in larger doses, you tripped over it. Still, a designer like Grant could easily coast on what he knows is proper. A push out of the comfort zone is a sign of life.For evening, he kept lines long and a little bit disco with superwide silk jersey palazzo pants and jumpsuits masquerading as gowns, a continuation of last season's quest for ease. The former had a cool swagger when paired with a waist-shaping tuxedo vest. All that languid energy—not to mention those carefully placed slashes—significantly ramped up the sex appeal at a show where polish usually reigns. The most daring moment came before the car-wash gowns (an odd seventies aberration?) that closed the show: a sheer pleated gown with a sort of petal-shaped satin exoskeleton, certainly a dress where precision counts.
30 September 2011
The news today at Martin Grant was a fresh sense of ease, particularly when you compared the collection to last season's sleek line. This designer's sensibility generally marches to its own ladylike drumbeat, but this time his fount of inspiration was the decade that everyone's been on about since last season. "It's the easiness of the seventies," Grant said backstage after the show. "Everything is long and flowing." More about the flowing in a minute, but he wasn't kidding about long. The first look out was an ultrasimple camel coat that dropped straight down almost to the floor, making the model, Jade Parfitt, look about ten feet tall. A vent in the back reached up past the knees, adding to the attenuated line. It was equally chic in coppery brown with a matching fat fox-fur stole, and sublime in ivory with Mongolian lamb running the entire length of one lapel.Of course, Grant worked this looser spirit his way, which is to say precisely and elegantly. A scarf-silk wrap shirtdress had an elastic waist but buttoned neatly to the side, and you somehow knew by its languid set that the collar wasn't the kind that would ever need adjusting. And the look wasn't just for day. A burgundy gown came with a smocked waist and seemed to wear like a T-shirt, and the series of pleated and color-blocked maxi dresses that closed the show were the kind of evening numbers you'd happily swish and swing about in all night long. That said, considering all of those frocks had the Grant-ian detail of not being printed but rather paneled together and then pleated, you might want to be careful.
4 March 2011
Martin Grant is on the side of evolution, not revolution, each season turning out infallibly elegant dresses that make retailers salivate. (Witness Saks Fifth Avenue honcho Ron Frasch, patiently standing along with everyone else throughout this longish, unseated show.)Grant's broad stroke of an idea for Spring was strong color and graphic lines. You saw it best, he felt, in the first look out, an impeccable black shift sliced with bold windowpane panels of hot pink. These were very ladylike clothes, skewing on the side of evening—or at least a very important workday. Still, there was a sporty thread in that color-blocking, as well as in the perforated leather cut into dresses. And the rib-cage insets merging into slim bucket pockets gave soigné frocks and coats a race-car sleekness. That's important; Grant's look may be finished, but it's never too "done." To wit: The models' gently glamorous, waved hair was worn loose but neat, and their makeup was bare save for the neon lips.Of course, when your focus is on simple clothes, the details are all the more important, hence the chocolate leather piping that was set into the center of a belt and into the cuffs of a trench, or the subtly witty satin Christian Louboutin sandals made to look like open shirt collars. What should fly off store racks: any of those trenches, a beautiful tuxedo jumpsuit, and a ridiculously simple cream day dress banded in black that can be worn until it disintegrates. And when it does, our guess is that Grant will still be around in his quiet powerhouse way to sell you another.
2 October 2010
Australian designer Martin Grant has made a modest but steady name for himself, proving that stylish and practical need not be separate entities when it comes to women's fashion. His very consistent collections have always been quietly chic and eminently wearable, and this show displayed his USP nicely. It also demonstrated, though, why he would be best advised to stay within those restrained but effective parameters.Shown as a presentation in the gorgeous École des Beaux-Arts, the collection began with a dress that was a good example of Grant's modus operandi, being a seemingly simple mid-length black dress with demi sleeves. But look a little closer (and this is one reason why the designer has been wise in rejecting shows for presentations in the past year, as they allow onlookers to appreciate his careful handiwork better), and his skills are more apparent. Witness how he cut the bottom of the dress to blossom out into a small bubble, but stitched it in such a way so as not to bulk out the wearer. Similarly, a simple pair of black trousers had an interesting drape effect on the hips, which actually made the model look even more sylphlike. A beautiful oak-colored leather minidress included some pockets carefully cut into the side, lightening up the material's potentially heavy effect.Aside from detailing, Grant is also known for his ladylike aesthetic and, true to form, the only cleavage on show was on the models' toes, thanks to some particularly beautiful brightly colored round-toed high heels—cut away, rather saucily, just over the models' mid-toe joints. Less appealing, though, was the end section, in which Grant had included the ubiquitous big-shoulder trend—a misguided effort that brought to mind a normally dignified uncle getting down to some hip-hop at his niece's wedding. Grant works better when he sways gently to his own refined tune.
6 March 2010
Walking into Martin Grant's Marais atelier, you were greeted by a glam occasion dress—a strapless red taffeta number with a grand bow at the waist and a sweeping train that's destined for awards-show appearances. But in a season when transparency has become a fashion-wide preoccupation, the real appeal of this collection was that Grant came up with chic clothes for real life. No visible bras and panties here, just a well-edited lineup of little dresses, pantsuits, and trenches that, without ever inching into humdrum workday territory, will appeal to a working woman—one who puts in time at the office and goes out at night.A fitted dress and a jacket with notched shoulders had the bold proportions still in vogue, but for the most part Grant pushed draping, not structure. The one-shoulder silhouette dominated. It came knee-length in red washed silk crepe or silvery charmeuse, and long in a more substantial black silk twill. The last was actually two pieces, a bustier and a dramatic wrap. Platinum-plated brass jewelry, sometimes integrated into the strap or belt of a dress, was eye-catching, too.
30 September 2009
Scaling back, Martin Grant presented a Fall collection on mannequins in his Marais atelier. He made a few nods toward the trends: a hooded sweatshirt minidress had this season's rock 'n' roll vibe, while both a gazar coat-dress and a skirtsuit with waist-shrinking tulle padding at the hips channeled the forties. (The jacket of the suit also boasted stand-up lapels and a built-in shell for a sleek line.) But these were more likely lucky coincidences than intentional grabs at nowness. Way before the recession had everyone in fashion talking about the importance of timelessness, this Australian transplant's calling cards were classics with an attention to special details. Today, those special details included an integrated belt on a strapless L.B.D. and jumpsuit, permanent pleats on the high-waisted trousers of a pantsuit, and swags of fabric suspended from the collar of a gorgeous silk blouse that added some controlled volume at the shoulders. There was nothing scaled back about the quality of these clothes.
9 March 2009
There might be fewer reasons to kick up one's heels if the markets keep heading south, but for party dresses Martin Grant is still a go-to guy. Maybe more so than ever, considering he specializes in the sort of unflashy, elegantly anonymous dresses that a woman can return to year after year. All she has to do is update her accessories—this season the designer layered the necklaces on thick, courtesy of a shop next door to his atelier that sells chains by the meter.Pleating was a key motif of the short, concise show. It was eye-catching on the neckline of a Champagne-gold halter dress and on the hip of a long navy column. He focused most of his attention on after-dark options, but a few day looks did make the cut, including a sleek trench and two other coats with more pleating on the sleeves. One pair of trousers came with origamilike folds at the pockets. Too bad he didn't see fit to include some of his sharp suits in the mix.
3 October 2008
Retailers love his kind of clothes: sophisticated, but not severe, suits and dresses that nod in the direction of trend but don't come with a built-in "best before" date. And today Martin Grant duly delivered on his fans' expectations with a collection that came in a woman-friendly palette of orangey-red and electric blue, as well as black, navy, camel, and ivory. He opened with a flame-red coat that will be like a beacon on the sales floor; it had two big, black buttons on a capelike overlay above a belted waist. His other coats were either true capes (a striking camel cashmere one, worn with black cigarette pants, fell to the hips from a stand-away collar) or came with short dolman sleeves, a big fur collar, and self-belts.The designer played with different volumes when it came to dresses, too. A silk-satin sack and a drapey jersey were V-shaped, with a lot of room up top and narrowed skirts. But then he showed a gorgeous white charmeuse hourglass with a single, subtle rosette at the hem. Its counterpoint was a dramatic ivory smoking jacket with satin lapels, worn with long, full pants with permanent creases. This was Grant at his reality-chic best.
29 February 2008
A tuxedo and a strapless gown, gift-wrapped with a bow at the waist, both in shocking pink, were the highlights, showcasing Martin Grant's twin talents for sharp yet feminine tailoring and dressmaking with a couturier's attention to detail. You could even call these items classics—chez Grant, that's not a naughty word.Other pieces that fit the description included a single-button, double-breasted leather jacket with a stand-up collar and furled lapels; a blouson shirtdress with oversize buttons, tied waist, and corded cap sleeves; and a long silver dress with a narrow column of a skirt and a gathered bodice that draped from rolled shoulders. The last two had a subtle Asian sensibility that was echoed in the models' ironed and upswept hair. A brown-and-pink floral dress was more of-the-moment, but still well within the designer's elegant vocabulary.Points off, though, for the patent short shorts. One pair sends a message about a sportif summer; many pairs suggest that Grant didn't work hard enough to come up with more viable below-the-waist options.
5 October 2007
The pleasures of a Martin Grant show are found in the smallest of details: the sculptural fan-pleated bodice of a strapless dress, the perfectly spherical clear buttons descending the front of a collarless, bubble-hem coat, the way one strap of a cocktail number is designed to slip provocatively off the shoulder, while the other remains demurely in place. These touches and more were on display on Grant's runway today—evidence that, after a brief, ill-advised dip into the sportif side of fashion, the designer has returned to his dressmaking roots and the exacting tailoring for which he's known.Working in a palette of black, white, gray, and purple, Grant captured the season's voluminous but structured silhouette, without seeming trendy. The show started off with an A-line, hooded bouclé coat, and there were sway-back jackets, egg-shaped coats, and wide-leg pants for day. For evening, he focused on tulip and bubble dresses that often came with a second cutaway cocooning skirt. The highlights included a pair of satiny coat-dresses, one with a pouf at the upper back, the other flaring out from the shoulders like a cape. Best of all, though, was the finale—a silver lamé siren gown that, in contrast to the other rounded shapes, skimmed the body like a breeze.Just one quibble: The pacing of the show was far too stately for the seen-it-all, end-of-fashion-week crowd.
2 March 2007
Martin Grant's clothes have always been about the dream of French chic. The trench. The little black dress. The jumpsuit? Like others this season, the Australian-born designer has injected a sportif element into his collection. It appeared in silhouettes (a snap-front jacket with hood), materials (a tent gown in sweatshirt-gray jersey), and details (contrast piping on a set of 1920s tennis dresses).Where were the coats and suits that have made Grant's Marais studio a must-shop for devotees including Lee Radziwill, who looked the picture of elegance in his front row? A flawless raincoat in the palest gray near the beginning boded well. Unfortunately, though, this was followed by dresses that were surprisingly offhand (read: sloppy) for such a meticuloustailleur, the worst offender being a lime-green cowlneck jersey number. A plainer T-shirt dress cut from the same fabric but in heather-gray worked better.For all that, Grant turned out some fine evening dresses, especially the final look, a red gown with a fishtail train and a bodice folded, pleated, and pressed with the assiduous attention to every detail for which the designer is known.
6 October 2006
Martin Grant's exquisitely tailored clothes have a quiet glamour that's best appreciated up close. No doubt that's why he chose to show his fall collection in the intimate surroundings of the Galerie St. Pere on the Left Bank. The crush of admirers—and this Australian designer has many—made for challenging viewing conditions, but in the end, it was worth the inconvenience.Grant said he was inspired by the sixteenth-century Flemish painter Corneille de Lyon, and as it turns out, that obscure historical reference produced some very current shapes and cuts. The jackets of his silk faille skirt suits, for starters, had this season's teardrop sleeves and tulip lapels, the latter of which he stuffed with tulle (a couturier's trick) for added drama and volume. A black waterproof trench arced out in back, while other coats were trimmed with passementerie and small pom-poms that followed the lines of boleros. That motif continued for evening with a jet-beaded fitted vest that topped a silk ottoman strapless gown. How another after-dark look—a strapless one-piece pantsuit in ivory tweed—relates to the sixteenth century is anybody's guess, but that was an easily overlooked misstep in an otherwise refined fall show.
2 March 2006
Martin Grant saidKind of Blue,the Miles Davis masterpiece, was a starting point for his spring collection. Fittingly, he showed lovely cocktail dresses in shades ranging from navy to the palest aqua. The jazziest of the group came in taffeta with a pleated, strapless bodice, a glittering ribbon waistband, and a gathered hem. Pleating and paneling were persistent riffs in this show, decorating coats with tulip silhouettes and three-quarter sleeves, and adding intrigue to simple but exquisitely finished sheaths.Grant's dirndls, with their pin-tuck details, displayed a deft hand. But hip-skimming pencil skirts were more of-the-moment, and leather embellished with broderie anglaise had a welcome edge. The same could be said for cuffed linen-cotton shorts, which, when paired with smartly tailored sailor and pea jackets, evoked school uniforms. Grant cuts a gorgeous trench, as anyone who's followed his career from private dressmaker to ready-to-wear designer knows, and his oyster satin evening version looked like a dream. But Grant may need to take more risks, and incorporate some of the improvisational magic his musician muse Davis was known for, if he wants to reach similar creative heights.
2 October 2005
"I don't work with themes," explained Martin Grant after his lovely intimate presentation in a grand, old Paris apartment. And thank goodness. For fall, this private dressmaker turned ready-to-wear designer delivered another round of simple, subtly elegant clothes that marked what he called an "evolution of the previous season." Once again, Grant focused on tailoring. He did smart felted pea coats and jackets in camel, cadet blue, and black, but they were often worn with liquid silk jersey skirts or pants (the former full and flirty, the latter straight-leg and slim), which softened the effect. Similarly, he paired a black bouclé wool jacket with tulip sleeves with a tiered peasant skirt. This sort of architectural, yet easy look is one of Grant's great strengths.The other, of course, is his dresses, which came in panne velvet, tulle netting, and that liquid silk jersey. Grant is a master of the knee-length cocktail frock, the perfect LBD (this season with bracelet-length sleeves, a Peter Pan collar, and a full pleated skirt) that his clients turn to again and again. He doesn't normally traffic in show-stoppers, but there was one floor-grazing halter-neck gown, in iridescent lavender, that more than fit that description.
28 February 2005
When Martin Grant is on form, he can perk up an audience no end. Channeling his considerable experience as a private dressmaker turned ready-to-wear designer, Grant produces clothes that are nicely poised between daintiness and practicality—neither debutante froth nor overblown runway fantasy. His spring collection was triggered, he said, by an artist's smock hanging in his studio. "It was about smocking, gathers, and volumes," he said. "But only vaguely."He opened with a delicate, forties-feeling pale-pink dress, followed by a curvy rose-colored short jacket over a full, delicately striped knee-length skirt. That was followed by a beautifully simple white linen dress whose gathered bodice clung to the waist and opened into a gentle fullness below—something between innocent peasant and Empress Josephine.All this ably demonstrated his understanding of summer's lightness and romance. But Grant isn't one to get swept away by a theme. He also wisely developed some of the signature pieces so beloved by his clients (like Lee Radziwill, discreetly watching from the sidelines). Grant's neatly useful coats looked particularly great—for example, a trench with a new trumpet-sleeve detail or a black yoked painter's coat shrugged over a liquid-silver flounced skirt.Grant's sophisticated nighttime looks demonstrated how thoroughly he's thought about an area many others don't: making an evening dress that is stunning in 3-D. The Empire line and smock idea became raised-waist dresses bloused at the back, handled elegantly in rich silver and platinum fabrics that never turned vulgar. That kind of reality chic explains why Grant is garnering such a loyal following.
6 October 2004
Free advice to off-schedule designers who want to get an overextended, appointment-crazed Paris audience on their side: Start on time and get it over with quickly. Slapped wrists to Martin Grant for breaking the code, thereby filling the room with irritation before he'd even started. As a civilian lady invitee whispered, after looking at watch for the fifteenth time, "Is this normal?"Part of the charm of the grown-up, well-considered clothes Martin Grant designs from his workshop in the Marais is the small-scale immediacy of what he does. His followers expect an elegant seasonal shortcut into the kind of classic style that looks youthful (but rich) at any age. Some of that came over in his signature coats, done just so in a single-breasted pony version trimmed with leather, a narrow-waisted black Lurex evening trench, or three-quarter-length fifties tweed. This season, though, a heavy-sense-of-fashion theme made the magic evaporate.Grant started with a belted cape-dress, proceeded to a coat-dress with capelet shoulders and a black-and-white tweed trench with the same cut, and followed that with tight black-and-pink brocade tweed cocktail dresses with a light hint of Suzie Wong. (Grant explained he'd been watching "old Japanese gangster movies and Marlene Dietrich inShanghai Express.") But all the lightness and color Grant captured in his last collection, and which fashion is craving this season, somehow eluded him. As a matter of fact, he isn't a designer who suffers from pretentiousness, but the couturelike surroundings he chose and the agonizing repetitiousness of this show almost made it seem so.
8 March 2004
"He's just great. His clothes are exquisite," raved Lee Radziwill, one of Martin Grant's more high-profile fans, who arrived at the designer's show (held in a cloistered courtyard) wearing one of his tomato suede jackets. It wasn't hard to see why the Australian designer holds such appeal for the likes of Radziwill; his collection was the epitome of chic. And though it might be ready-to-wear, every piece—every stitch, even—showed a zeal for the craft of couture. From the first anthracite satin minitrench to the knife-pleated Lurex skirts worn with backless chiffon halters or narrow crepe jackets with pushed up sleeves, Grant's clothes were impeccable. Yes, they're Park Avenue grand—perfect for those polite ladies who never have a hair or hemline out of place. That's not to say they won't appeal to younger high-maintenance types too. It might be old-school technique, but the effect was dynamic and contemporary, without any need for gimmicks or fuss.Backstage, the designer said the collection was inspired by his grandmother, who taught him to sew. "Her thing was the shirtdress," he said. "She always wore them." His versions served as the bedrock of his collection, cut narrow, never tight, in long and mini proportions. But graceful glamour ended the show in the form of a strapless gown in wavy chiffon ruffles. If ever a Hollywood star needed some red carpet fashion credibility, she could do well to start here.
10 October 2003
Australian-born Martin Grant, whose shop in the Marais district has long been a haunt for fashion insiders like Naomi Campbell, put on a charming, well-edited show with the youthful but wistful elegance we’ve seen this season in collections like Rochas by Olivier Theyskens and Proenza Schouler. With smart little dresses, slim coats and detail-rich skirts, Grant, like those other young designers, makes grateful, and graceful, reference to the past. But he's not anchored to it: bell sleeves on jersey tops whispered classic Saint Laurent, while a three-quarter-length suede coat was subtly ’70s.Despite the historical allusions, Grant showed a modern collection for modern girls. The updated Twiggy silhouette that feels so right this season was there, done in bronze and gold cotton and Lurex. There were cape-backed tops—another key look of the moment—and grosgrain ribbon trims that kept things veryjeune fille.A beautifully embroidered tulle skirt managed to make ethnic details look refined.These are truly ladylike clothes, polished and sexy but with refreshing hints of irony. Motorcycle-leather topstitching saved gold satin tops from appearing too precious, while crinoline skirts, hugely full and poufed in the back, created an edgy profile. It was alltrés chic, tr#233;s parisienne,and it left some in the audience comparing Grant to Charles James—no small compliment.
7 March 2003