Mary Martin London + Schiaparelli Victoria + Albert Museum Kensington London

Deep Calls To Deep

Dame Mary Martin and Elsa Schiaparelli share a fearless surrealist approach to fashion that transcends mere apparel. The very now British fashion artist and the late Italian fashion artist both treat the human body as a canvas for storytelling and spectacle. “I studied Schiaparelli for my fashion degree,” says Mary, “and while I love her work I have my own distinct style. Her show at the Victoria and Albert Museum is amazing!” Still, Mary Martin London channels the Schiaparelli legacy by empowering her clients to dress with bold theatricality.

A thread of surrealism winds its way through both fashion houses. Schiaparelli famously collaborated with Salvador Dali to create wearable art such as Woman’s Evening Coat, 1937, which features a line drawing of a goblet on its back. Or is it the profile of two faces? Mary Martin London’s Cecil the Lion Dress, 2018, is a tribute to the Zimbabwean lion killed by a trophy hunter. Fluffy black tulle around the neck and shoulders of the dress represents a lion’s mane.

Elsa used fashion to evolve from a young woman who was told she was ugly into an avant garde visionary of the 20th century. Mary has used fashion to evolve from an undereducated young woman into – guess what? – an avant garde visionary of the 21st century. “I’ve a deeper sense of call,” Mary shares, “I am determined to use my God given creativity to teach and inspire the next generation of designers.”