A Margiela Moment

The boutique 10 Corso Como, like Colette in Paris, is Milan's avant garde super store: the place to shop for fashion by Comme des Garcons, Azzedinne Alaia, Prada and more, as well as the latest music and art books. The shop also contains a gallery, curated by store owner Carla Sozzani, now showing an exhibit from Maison Martin Margiela.

Margiela has been showing in Paris since 1989, and is more of an artist than a product pusher. The show features 26 of the Belgian designer's most important pieces, displayed beautifully against white muslin panels, so that each garment casts a shadow that's visible through the cloth.

Margiela is often inspired by everday objects, so there is a broken dishes waistcoat constructed from cracked porcelain held together with wire, and a jacket assembled from pieces of women's wigs. Men's bowties are stitched together create a dress with a bondage effect, while cotton handkerchiefs, some embroidered or monogrammed, are superimposed, folded and rolled to form a classic men's shirt. The most genius piece may be the ball gown Margiela made by piecing together old bride's maid dresses.

Now there's something a girl could get behind.

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I also stopped into the Tod's showroom to see what was cooking now that Derek Lam has been named creative director over all divisions of the company including ready-to-wear and accessories. For fall, the theme is apres-ski, and Lam has designed some super chic, fur-lined booties to wear to the lodge. The quilted leather vests are pretty good, too, along with a seriously luxe black-and-white, embroidered shearling coat that will cost approximately $6,000. (These clothes may be sporty but they don't come cheap, and they have very limited distribution, available at Tod's flagship stores only, including of course Beverly Hills.)

The oversized bag will be over come fall, at least according to the folks at Tod's who are pushing a flat satchel called the Crosby with woven details on the front. But patent leather is showing no signs of disappearing. So the hit T-Bag, which has a ton of pockets for gadgets, will come in glossy burgundy and black patent. Lam's also designed a patent leather platform Mary Jane with the signature pebbles on the back of the heels.

The big Oscar bag, which the firm is hoping will show up on the red carpet a lot this weekend, is a satin envelope clutch that comes in a ton of colors. The iconic driving moc has also been updated in satin, too.

(Photo: Kirk McKoy / LAT; Tod's)