Marques'Almeida Tops: What to Buy First

I will admit that I am suspicious of polish for polish's sake, which is probably why I keep drifting back to Marques' Almeida. Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida are Portuguese designers who met at fashion school, found each other again at Central Saint Martins, and decided to build a label in London in 2011. In 2015 the LVMH Prize gave the independent label a much wider audience.

 

Denim made their name, with its raw hems and generous volume, but the mood is bigger than jeans now. Satin, lace, oversized layers and the frayed pieces all sit side by side, and it reads like a conversation between two designers rather than one signature silhouette repeated forever. They even showed in Porto during the pandemic before coming home to London Fashion Week. Their own story is worth a read if you want the early chapters.

What keeps me coming back to these tops is that they refuse to pick between tailoring and a little disarray. The Sequin Asymmetric Top is black and ready for a party, with an off-balance line. The Corset Top brings navy pinstripe structure, and the Satin Cowl Neck Top loosens everything up in burgundy.

 

For daylight, the Light Weight Drill Slip Top or the Denim Sleeveless Top is the easier start, with a long skirt or worn-in jeans so the texture can speak. In my fashion dreams, she is meeting friends after work in the Satin And Lace Bicoloured Top, a straight dark trouser and flat shoes. I would choose the neckline first, then the layer underneath it. What I would skip: any strapless or asymmetric cut you cannot check against your own measurements.

The dresses make the push and pull of this label obvious: a familiar occasion shape, then one detail that refuses to behave. The Heavy Satin Princess Dress has volume and a rich surface, and the Printed Heavy Satin Mini Dress turns that shine into something more playful. The Long Sleeve Mini Shirt Dress has the ease of a shirt, while the Linen Cowl Neck Dress is the one I would pack for a warm city weekend.

 

Picture her walking into a gallery opening in the Mikado Rib Jersey Short Princess Dress, then throwing on a jacket for the ride home. My tip is to keep shoes and jewelry spare around a full skirt or glossy fabric, so the shape has room. And when in doubt, choose one standout detail instead of layering three.

The thing that stays with me is the balance: a satin bow or a voluminous skirt next to the rawer denim instincts the label started with. Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida began with a shared London ambition, and the work still has the intimacy of two people talking through a problem together.

 

I would wear the pieces that feel a little unlike anything else in my closet, then give them space. Although I suspect the Heavy Satin Bow Top will be the one I keep reaching for.