Photo credit: www.vogue.com
Exploring Andrea Mary Marshall’s Bold Tribute to Elizabeth
The title of a fashion collection can sometimes be misleading, as seen with Andrea Mary Marshall’s upcoming line for fall 2025, simply named “Elizabeth.” While it gestures towards the historical English monarch, the collection transcends a mere homage, showcasing a thoughtful evolution from the designer’s earlier single-focus spring offering.
Having graduated from Parsons, Marshall initially carved a niche in the fashion industry while also pursuing a fine art practice that centered around self-portraiture. Reflecting on these experiences during a preview, she shared, “The jobs I took were transient; I could easily engage and detach. I often found myself in tears in the bathroom, yet I would return home to focus on my art. This led to an unexpected accumulation of production knowledge.” This knowledge proved invaluable when she launched Salon 1884 in collaboration with Neiman Marcus in 2021, a name inspired by John Singer Sargent’s controversial 1884 exhibition featuring “Portrait of Madame X.”
Salon 1884 emerged as a sophisticated brand known for its expert tailoring, luxurious black dresses inspired by Sargent’s muse, and a hint of provocative design. While Marshall’s designs often evoke bold silhouettes reminiscent of the 1980s, she felt a sense of incompleteness. She described her brand as reflecting a personal and minimalist style, expressing, “It’s what I would wear, but not necessarily what I create.” This prompted her to delve back into the essentials of design, particularly pattern-making, stating, “Learning to create my own patterns fundamentally transformed my approach to fashion.” This initiative ultimately catalyzed the formation of the Andrea Mary Marshall brand.
Infusing elements of the Virgin Queen into a contemporary fashion context requires a certain audacity, and this collection illustrates that spirit well. While featuring dresses crafted from over 30 yards of starched lace and corsetry, it avoids a sugary aesthetic, much like the complex figure of Elizabeth herself. Drawing insights from Roy Strong’s writings, Marshall highlighted Elizabeth’s frequent choice of black—both a symbol of grandeur and a statement traditionally aligned with male attire. Among the standout pieces is a rain-resistant cotton trench with bold cut-and-slashed sleeves exposing luxurious Loro Piana plaid cashmere linings, exuding a sense of daring. The most striking Elizabethan-inspired styles include a strapless gown, dubbed the “Lilibet dress,” adorned with a fanning Chantilly lace collar and pearl details, alongside the “Izzie” bodice that pays homage to Vivienne Westwood’s influential contributions to British fashion.
The collection is rich with British influences—trench coats, brothel creepers, and punk studs—though it is the distinct, feminized Teddy Boy elements that truly elevate the designs. One notable jacket surprises with ivory satin lapels and intricately draped lace along its Western seams, while a precisely tailored plaid suit jacket features a unique busk front. The tailoring strikes a balance between a slightly shrunken fit and the figure-flattering femme fatale styles, with several dresses made from a custom leopard alpaca fabric that evokes the iconic 90s aesthetic of Kate Moss while subtly alluding to Queen Elizabeth I.
Marshall expressed her artistic interpretation of Elizabeth, noting, “I used to envision her as both godly and profoundly human; that duality warranted an animalistic edge.” This collection emerges as a striking manifestation of that vision, promising to inspire confidence and boldness in those who embrace its audacious spirit.
Source
www.vogue.com