STYLE NOTES: Tracing the fashion roots of the #pillowchallenge from Margiela to Moncler

Behold the newest baby of social media: #pillowchallenge. How to do it? Take a pillow or two, cinch it around your waist with a belt, and then take a selfie.

It’s the hottest fashion trend since we’ve got nowhere to go and unlimited hours in the bedroom, even if the conference calls are coming in. (Open secret: Everyone on the video call is dressed decently only from the waist up.)

As of press time, the hashtag has 150,000 + tags on Instagram, catching the interest of influencers across the globe.

As innovative as this may seem, it was predicted a little over two decades ago. Martin Margiela, the Belgian designer known for subverting fashion, debuted the Duvet coat for his fall/winter collection in 1999. It’s a feather duvet converted to outerwear.

The Duvet coat section at the ‘Margiela/Galliera 1989-2009’ exhibit at Palais Galliera.

The Duvet coat is but part of Margiela’s treatise on making fashion out of anything: Clothing tags, the carpet from the backstage of his first runway show, and socks. It’s found several iterations across trends and other designers since it first hit the catwalk.

Moncler Puffer Gown by Pierpaolo Piccioli. Photo courtesy of ‘Harper’s Bazaar’

Think of the winter coats in your favorite shopping spots or go extreme with Moncler Puffer Gowns. In 2005, Viktor & Rolf presented somnambulist fashion to the tune of Tori Amos singing from the Song of Solomon.

A look from Viktor & Rolf Fall/Winter 2005. Photo courtesy of ‘Vogue.’

In the show notes of ‘Margiela/Galliera 1989-2009,’ the Duvet coat represented “the height of comfort, providing the sense of wellbeing on the eve of Y2K and all the anxieties that went with it.” Adjust “Y2K” to the current situation, and it’s the same sentiment as to why we’re doing the #pillowchallenge these days.

 

Fine details of rebellion with Martin Margiela

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