Martine Sitbon (Q3322)
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Martine Sitbon is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Martine Sitbon |
Martine Sitbon is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
consultant
Editor’s Note: Rev, a collaboration between Martine Sitbon and businessmen and brother, Laurent and Arik Bitton, will update pieces from the designer’s archive. The first offering, shown in Paris, included reimagined designs from the designer’s moody fall 1997 collection, which has been newly digitized to mark the occasion. Pieces from this show are also on view in the “1997 Big Bang” exhibition that just opened at the Palais Galliera in Paris.Born in Casablanca, Martine Sitbon moved to Paris as a child. A graduate of Studio Berçot, she worked as a freelance designer before launching her namesake line in 1986. At the time, Vogue identified Sitbon as one of new talents giving fashion “a certain charm—an insouciance—and a somewhat younger Paris-made way to dress.” Also, a ready-to-wear way to dress. Two years later Sitbon was recruited to bring life to Chloé, one of the first Parisian prêt-à-porter brands, and she designed her own collection alongside those for the heritage house.Working with her partner, Marc Ascoli, and many talented graphic designers and photographers, Sitbon became known for a “rock-and-romantic” vibe that was energized by a push-and-pull between the sophisticated and correct Parsian approach to dress, and that of the rebel. That’s very much in play in the fall 1997 collection, which opened with strictly tailored pieces, and then expanded to include softly tactile materials like fur and devoré chiffons; a Sitbon signature. In a recent interview, the designer described this collection as having a “dark romance.” Contemporary critics were in line with that assessment. “Martine Sitbon was at her gothic-horror best,” notedThe Daily Telegraph,and the writer of a syndicated story, Julia Szabo, wrote that the dresses “managed to appear at once tough and tender.” They had a visceral appeal, according to Danielle Zinaich, who opened the show. “Martine was one of my favorite designers. She had a definite direction and recognizably strong edge,” she said in an email exchange. “Her designs for this collection were goth feminine and sexy. The models were most excited to do her show because it had such a buzz and the coolest influencers wanted her designs.”Called Les Arbres (The Trees) the collection featured somewhat eerie patterns of crisscrossed branches. Some of these were extended by sequins embroidered with twig-like delicacy.
Some dresses were slashed in a punkish style, while others had more refined cutouts; in both cases the idea was to show the skin. For all their charm, these were designs for seduction. A tailored coat over one of these looks just might make it good for cinq à sept (the hours for assignation), but essentially these were hot after-hours dresses for liberated women, not babes in the wood.
8 March 2023
Martine Sitbon and her art director partner, Marc Ascoli (the man who has worked on advertising campaigns for everyone from Jil Sander to Yohji Yamamoto), are one of the boldface fashion couples of the City of Light. Naturally, their show often attracts the hipper, artier elements of Parisian society: If there isn't a groovy little contingent of women who look like Jane Birkin circaJe T'Aime Moi Non Plusand men with scruffy hair and (deliberately) scruffier suits, then something is amiss.But it's not just Sitbon's status that draws the crowds: Her collections lure them in, too. She has perfected, over the past few seasons, a move away from her stark, severe look to something that's much easier—a kind of dreamy romanticism shot through with a street-cred sports vibe. She's also demonstrated an original way with color: This fall¿s combinations, as evinced by the paneled velvet and silk dresses that closed the show, might include mushroom, cream, scarlet, and sapphire blue.The best of the bunch were the thirties dance dresses that looked like they could have stepped out of a Brassai photograph—all layers of pearl pink or creamy white chiffon, undulating hems, fluttery sleeves, and intriguing decoration. One had a gently quilted bib front and cap sleeves. There were also some fine cable knits—a slow-burner trend in Paris—here used for short fitted sweaters that had sleeves like tiny shrugs. Some of the tailoring, however, didn¿t make the grade, partly because the idea of reversing jackets and coats so that the linings show is never wise, partly because the cut was so ungainly it committed the cardinal sin of making the models look dumpy. The next time Sitbon shows, it will be those chiffon dresses that grace her front row.
9 March 2004
"I wanted to take couture elements, like bows and flowers, but do them in a spontaneous, modern, comfortable way," explained Martine Sitbon. Hardly the torturously intellectual talk of a respected French modernist, but then this is Paris, Spring 2004, and designers everywhere are lightening up their acts.Sitbon was no exception. For a section of clothes made from parachute silk, she raided the colors from the makeup counter—powdery blush, baby blue, a highlight of lime, lipstick magenta. But while the sweatshirts, ruched-sleeved parkas, and ice-skating skirts looked pretty, easy, and undemanding, some of the repetitive dresses did not: Loose cummerbunds bulked up the hips and large silk flowers were plonked on thighs, a littletoospontaneously. Will the Sitbon customer really want to wear dresses so sugary sweet they resembled upside-down tulips? Will even her die-hard fans snap up the aprons covered in chiffon blooms?Fear not, all you Sitbon lovers. Her alternative—a play on masculine/feminine tailoring—gave the collection balance and rescued it from the saccharine realms of cotton-candy couture. Crisp white frock coats, backless waistcoats, and wide cream trousers looked smart, imaginative, and sexy, as did the last few slithery black satin sheaths with twisted velvet straps—just the sort of strong signature pieces that her customers know and love.
10 October 2003
Martine Sitbon’s collection latched onto some of the avant-garde trends that are currently orbiting planet fashion. Plaid, Lurex, zippers, off-kilter color combinations and collaged piecings of oddly matched fabric were worked into a show whose loose theme was punk-meets-sci-fi.Sitbon started with black plaid sparkle-shot coats, cut away over short, dippy asymmetrical skirts made of bits of layered tulle and other fabrics. Then she did complex things with striped knits in gray, black, white, yellow and red, overlaying them with curvy corded bands, in patterns that mimicked the shape of ethnic vests. There were gray satin bombers, utility-pocketed skirts and anoraks decorated with red sequin strips made to suggest harnesses.The designer followed up with a lot of garments that looked as if they’d been chopped up and adapted from other pieces of clothing, then ended with jackets that featured zippered-in sleeves and some distressed silver space-man leather. The trouble was that Sitbon’s ideas came across as derivative and somewhat dreary, while the intelligent feminine design that usually characterizes her shows was nowhere to be seen.
8 March 2003
Who says Americans have the market cornered on clever sportswear? Martine Sitbon's spring show was a distinctly French commentary on current trends that proved smart design knows no borders.Most of the season's usual suspects were present and accounted for: blouson jackets, lingerie pieces, jumpsuits and micro shorts, sport influences, and utility details. But Sitbon is one of those designers who can reference the themes of the moment without relinquishing her own (artsy) identity. She softened a safari jacket by cutting it in pale-lavender satin, and feminized the sport motif by using wide, striped ribbon—inserted here and there on short, swingy jersey dresses, wrapped around bodices and run down the seam of slim satin pants.Sitbon knows how to flatter the ins and outs of a woman's figure with innovative cutting, although sometimes she piled up too many ideas in one outfit. But in a season full of me-too collections—seemingly aimed at a teenage constituency—her strong sense of self was refreshing. And who else but a French designer would be so comfortable making corsets and garter belts the basis of a series of sexy little dresses?
5 October 2002
Martine Sitbon's stock in trade is her oh-so-Parisian ability to confidently mix disparate elements, producing all those "How do they do it?" outfits that make women from other cultures pine. At her best, she blends flea market chic, historic references, an urban toughness and a wispy femininity to produce pieces that are distinctive, yet don't overwhelm the wearer.Sitbon's fall collection, done mostly in black with occasional forays into gray, ivory and lavender tones, contained a lot of those signature looks. There were strong-shouldered jackets nipped at the waist, slim trousers, a silk bomber jacket and some pretty, fluid asymmetrical skirts and dresses. True, there was no shortage of oddball pieces—like chopped-off jodhpurs with flaring cuffs or an ivory skirt with a hiked-up hem—that seemed tricky and gratuitous. But weary closets could be easily refreshed by a puckered, sheer sweater, or one of the dip-dyed, screen-printed, artsy-girl dresses.
10 March 2002
Martine Sitbon draws on an eclectic mix of sources and has consistently explored both feminized menswear and a vintage, flea-market aesthetic.It was hardly surprising, then, when antique-looking camisoles, washed denim skirts and distressed ruffle dresses all turned up on her runway, often coupled with mannish pinstripe blazers or vests. While several individual pieces worked well—notably the ecru coats, aged suede jackets and slim trousers—the overall effect of this collection was one of frenetic aimlessness. Sitbon's straightforward jabot dresses, Edwardian smocks and velvet-trimmed bits of flounce slipped too easily into the realm of kitsch. It's one thing to reference and update the past, but quite another to look like you're on your way to a costume party.
6 October 2001
Martine Sitbon's opening looks—a long, dark, loose overcoat thrown over straight pants, a military jacket and a wrap skirt with a sexy corset—announced that we were in for another rendition of the masculine/feminine play of opposites that has been so prevalent this season.Sitbon did it well. Leather skirts with lace insets on the side, pert blazers with puffed shoulders, and safari jackets with patch pockets will be functional and eye-catching additions to any wardrobe. Dresses with spider-web embroideries, distressed sides, and tulle and paillette layers were simultaneously flirty and stone-hard. Less interesting were the red-and-black printed cocktail numbers (which came and went without leaving a lasting impression) and the overly revealing lingerie slips.Still, as a whole, Sitbon's collection offered plenty of strong clothes that are perfectly practical yet manage to stand out from the pack.
10 March 2001
Martine Sitbon worked plenty of ideas into her presentation, all alluding to a tough, modern woman. A black coat with pen-scratch print opened the show, followed by spray-painted dresses, leather jackets with side-zips, and a tuxedo coat and pants with a simple black shirt. A gleaming red leather coat introduced rosy overlay printed dresses, many with iridescent prints and full layered skirts. A procession of rhinestone-accented black dresses and one-shouldered, deconstructed, manipulated mini evening pieces closed the show.Sitbon certainly created some good looks, but the collection as a whole proved to be long and repetitive, and would've benefited considerably from strict editing.
9 October 2000
In a season that has seen battalions of smoky '80s Parisienne looks stalk the runways, Martine Sitbon, who can rightly claim this territory as her particular and rightful property, has really come into her own. Black looks opened the show like a satin high-belted jacket over a skirt formed from a patchwork of matte and shine fabrics, or a bishop-sleeve blouse with stiff culottes. Then Sitbon smiled—on stylish purple, poison yellow or mustard-gold color-ways, dazzling against the patent runway.Sitbon's slick urban effects are counterpointed with charming artisanal detailing. This season, standouts included overscale windowpane checks created from felted wool layers; a sweater of purple mink patchwork pieces; gigantic fabric roses blooming on a purple organza skirt; a flurry of handkerchief points as a playful corsage on a close-fitting sweater; and swags of "chic punk" fine chains as trim. There was even a Sitbon take on ladylike '60s Chanel, with a tweedy ivory mohair coat embroidered with a plaid design of gold thread, encapsulating the particularly Gallic brand of chic with a punk attitude that she has always championed.
29 February 2000
Sitbon gathered many of the season's predominant themes and reworked them into her own collection: Transparent fabrics layered with shine, paillette appliqués, fringed trims, and pleating all showed up in her work. Leather skirts with geometric patchwork inserts were interesting, and there were a few easy-to-wear trench coats. The colors were mostly rosy pastels, black and white, but a series of pieces, reminiscent of the Russian deconstructivists, incorporated red and aqua insets as well.
5 October 1999