Marble Rises From the Ruins in Fashion and Furniture - Wall Street Journal

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Balenciaga

AS MOTIFS GO, marble was likely a wise choice by Alexander Wang for his debut collection at Balenciaga. The 29-year-old New York designer, known for his crew of cool friends and crowded after-show parties, had been a surprising candidate to helm the venerable French brand. Drawing on a substance that connotes solidity, classicism and the canon of European art history felt exactly right.

"I knew I wanted a pattern that evoked a monolithic energy, but was still quite organic," Mr. Wang said. He evoked the veiny stone in shades of black, white and gray. Models in marble-print shoes walked a marbled runway. On the clothes, which were trim with clean, curving lines, the motif was intricately rendered in a number of ways: embroidered lace, inlaid fur, hand-painted mohair knits and a mosaic of leather and suede sequins. "I loved the idea of taking marble prints but never just printing them," Mr. Wang said.

The designer has hit a rich vein: Marble—a material that few would have called trendy in recent years—seems to be having a moment.

This season, one can wear a skirt or bangle that recalls ancient Roman architecture, or hit holiday parties with a clutch that looks as if it were created with a hammer and chisel. "There's something very regal and timeless about marble," said jewelry designer Eddie Borgo, who used howlite—a veiny but much lighter-weight stone—to approximate the look of marble in his fall collection, which was inspired by Cleopatra. Mr. Borgo said he also appreciates marble in more modern form, as seen in sculptures by Brancusi and Isamu Noguchi.

Marble needn't skew ancient, nor so serious. Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman of Parisian design firm Interware said they made their trompe l'oeil armchair, called "Louis XV Goes to Sparta," with a spirit of humor.

"You imagine it's going to be hard and cold," said Mr. Lancman. "But when you come in contact with it, it's cozy and warm." The chair is covered in a cotton-silk blend that's digitally printed with a photograph of Carrara marble.

That's not to say the real thing is out of the picture. Patricia Urquiola's homeware collection for Italian marble manufacturer Budri made its debut at this year's Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan. The designer used only slabs that were damaged in last year's earthquake in the Emilia-Romagna region, where Budri is based.

You can't keep a good material down for long.

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A version of this article appeared October 18, 2013, on page D3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: StoneAge.

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