Horsehair Miniskirts? A Modest Proposal During Paris Fashion Week at Y/Project

For his second-ever stab at a womenswear collection, the buzzy Belgian designer Glenn Martens started off his spring 2017 show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday with a dramatic flourish: opera music. But, like his designs that showed up on the runway, it soon made way for something closer to his roots in the underground – something it looks like Martens is staying true to, even after adding corporate approval to his steadily growing cult following with a nomination for this year’s LVMH Prize. So while he hit all the traditional landmarks of femininity – ruffles, velvet, and bustiers in colors like lavender and deep pinks – he did so on his own terms, working with boyish, baggy shapes and unexpected materials for the sexier pieces, like a miniskirt made of horsehair.