‘This collection is all about hoops, tubes and loops,’ we were told at Maison Martin Margiela yesterday afternoon. For me this collection was about shoulders, big and jagged ones. Not quite the kind you see on Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce, but pointier, almost witch-ey. Well, to be honest, that doesn’t really come close either. That’s why Margiela’s silhouette has been really strong this season and last, because it feels very graphic and very new. It definitely says power but it doesn’t quite fall into the same category as its ballbreaking 1980s antecedents, nor does it belong in the 1940s. Rather than simply accentuating shoulder extremity, a feature of both of these eras, the whole shoulder span is redrawn as a kind of gravitational shelf, almost akin to the look of being restrained in a medieval spreader bar. This rigid 0.5m long line runs horizontally along the collar bone, creating a lot of opportunities for draping: where the hoops, loops and tubes come in. Unusual fabric combinations like swarovski-crystal encrusted nude tulle tubes rest on the upper body bolero-style (think fabulous draught excluder) as well as some interesting fluoro wool skirts and the use of other natural fibres. This collection is a real eye opener and one that importantly reassigns the female form with a new centre of gravity. Broad shouldered girls needn’t worry any longer – the broader you are, the more you can dangle.