MODA / FASHION
T hierry Mugler has passed away at the age of 73. A man who penned his own fantasy about the future of clothing, an eternal fighter for individuality and the right to his own definition of sex appeal – he turned the catwalk into a specta- cle, made women even more femi- nine, and conceived fashion shows that were like rock concerts. His work was marked by unprec- edented extravagance converted in- to breathtaking creations the likes of which the world had never seen be- fore. His superpower? Redefining the notion of beauty and the female sil- houette, and the look of the leading notion of attractiveness at the time. We’re talking about the ‘80s and ‘90s, a time without social media and much fewer media outlets, apart from the traditional ones - and about a man who literally nullified every conven- tion in order to start from scratch. He participated, both directly and in- directly, in the creating of a new im- age of the world, as well as influenc- ing showbiz to such an extent that when you see the performances of all the biggest stars today, they still exude the aesthetics that he brought, that he lived and which represented the only thing in which he believed. He created his first collection, ‘Café de Paris’, in 1973, and although that work would be considered as marking the official start of his de- sign career, it was only the juncture of the post-disco era – the entering of the ‘80s and the triumph of the style of debauchery and shameless displays of wealth – that would make Mugler a great (and globally recognis- able) name. When he said of himself that he’d had a very difficult life, you could think that he was alluding to the thorny path of building his career, but he was actually verbally demonstrat- ing something much more abstract. “I’ve always had a very hard time living in the world that is imposed on us, I would like to live on another planet. I want to live in space”. Yes, he was always that uncompromising eccen- tric who considered reality overrat- ed, which is why he turned fashion into a magnetically attractive comic
UNPRECEDENTED EXTRAVAGANCE
Who was Thierry Mugler, for whom the entire fashion world mourns? The fascinating saga of a creator with a special sensibility who caused sex appeal to soar to the stratosphere
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