Corsets have always been core to the Thierry Mugler aesthetic, though in recent years, you were more likely to find them in Beyoncé’s stage wardrobe than on the catwalk.
But with celebrities like the Kardashian sisters popularizing waist training, a pinched midriff suddenly doesn’t look so outdated. David Koma kicked off his spring collection for Mugler with a sequence of raw and glazed denim corset tops and sculpted leather belts that made for an otherworldly hourglass waist.
The designer said he was inspired by the 1971 Western “Les Pétroleuses” (“Frenchie King” in English) starring Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale. “They are so strong and rebellious, but feminine and sensual at the same time,” he said backstage.
Indeed, with their muscular arms and fierce expressions, his corseted ladies looked less like damsels in distress than kick-ass heroines — much like “Wonder Woman” star Robin Wright, who sat in the front row cinched in a white leather corset belt.
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Koma wisely toned down the Western references — except for the silver flames licking pointy black boots — in favor of a futuristic aesthetic in tune with the brand’s Alien perfume. Pants and miniskirts came with glistening silver hooks in the back, while lacing ran across body-con dresses and a slinky black swimsuit.
And for anyone not on board with Victorian-era waist-crunching, there were floaty sheer chiffon dresses in acid yellow, icy blue and coral red — with stomach-concealing black briefs underneath.