Analysis of Mugler’s Les Insectes
The Ask
Identify one collection from a specific designer or brand and look at the collection through a range of analyses including:
The historical reference for the collection.
How the designer reflects the zeitgeist of the era? Their reflection of the economy, political tension, a shift in a particular group’s place in society, or rejection of previously acceptable societal practices
The designer’s fashion philosophy and influences.
Aesthetic characteristics of multiple garments in the collection including cultural influences and significant themes.
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Thierry Mugler pulls inspiration from The Metamorphosis (1915), the allegorical novella written by Franz Kafka where a man wakes up with the body of a bug, for his Spring 1997 couture collection, Les Insects. Mugler makes this collection all about the merging of two things, whether it be woman and insect, the past and the future, or femininity and masculinity, to empower and protect women. The collection utilizes insects' natural protection against the world. It blends them with women, showing how women and insects often have to wear this hard shell of self-protection in society. Past and futuristic looks are merged to create something new: women's suits appear both feminine and masculine at the same time, with an array of corsetry and old Hollywood glamour. Mugler utilizes the natural juxtaposition of femininity and masculinity to blend silhouettes and models. The protective elements of insects blended with feminine silhouettes produce a femme fatale; the women Mugler dresses are lethal and unafraid to protect themselves. Les Insects begins with darkness and a tough leather shell to serve as armor to protect the model and carries through the naturally protective elements in the collection, leading to metamorphosis at the end of the collection with more extravagant colors and silhouettes. Mugler uses insects as a vehicle to display the strength and resiliency of women in his Spring 1997 couture line through the use of fabrics, silhouettes, and accessories.