Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2016

This season Sarah Burton drew from the archive at McQueen, re-imagining some fundamental ideas that Lee himself used through his
unfortunately cut-short career. Focuses: romanticism, naturalism, alongside a seemingly integral historicism - which we have been seeing a lot of all through this fashion month.

It was a rather surprising collection, there was nothing dark or grotesque, no harsh latex masks encapsulating the model's faces and, remarkably, no unique fabrics like synthetic hairs or impala horns.
 

Instead, we were presented with an array of simply beautiful, classic clothes. Fluid, floral printed gowns draped in cascading blush pink ruffles and Lee's signature 16th-century red military tailored jackets which sat over a sheer tiered skirt, asserted a gentle regalia mood over the engrossed spectators. 

 

Alongside that we saw Bohemia inspired by English Folklore. From the slashed blue jeans paired with a heavily embellished top of roses, to a delicate French laced top with a ruffled trail stratified over a pair of white slouchy trousers and white trainers (a look similar to the Givenchy Heroine).

 

 

Despite these pieces containing so much fragility and ethereality, there was an underlying fetishistic tone- corsets and chained harnesses mixed an unlikely combination of Bohemia and Victoriana, featured in the evening gowns.

 

 

 

 

There was also an idea of age and decay. Let's take the silk faille floral jacquards and the frays on the hem-lines- they felt to me like they were unfinished works of art, like a wilted rose subjected to years of abandonment. However nothing was actually incomplete with this collection, it was all done within the McQueen aesthetic and perhaps that's what made it feel so cleverly distinguishable.



silk faille floral jacquards

 

 

Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend one of the most highly anticipated fashion exhibitions of all time- Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty at London's Victoria & Albert museum.

Savage Beauty is the first and largest retrospective of McQueen's work, comprising of over 600 pieces from his 1992 MA graduate show, to the incompleted Fall 2010 collection. Without a doubt a deeply immersive experience.

 

Before witnessing the pieces up close, my preconceptions of the exhibition were limited. Of course I had seen pictures of his work and viewed the shows, but I think it is 100% safe to say that none of those images do the exhibition justice. The reality of the enthralling production is like nothing else I've ever seen for an exhibit before. Absolutely incredible. 

As you enter the exhibit, you are immediately plunged into the mind of the genius that is McQueen. Starting with the seemingly ordinary pieces from McQueen's graduation in '92 transitioning into his Savile Row days. Complex tailoring which consolidated the back-bone techniques for his later creations, and of course the low-slung 'bumster' trousers which became his signature.

Romanticism, the word which portrayed the raw and the disturbing mind of McQueen. It became evident that every creation you stood in front of came to life in such a way that made you realise how the exhibition is reimagining the way we see and engage with fashion on display today. 

Let us turn our attention to the 'cabinet of curiosities', the centre of the exhibition. Filled with all the fragments that made up McQueen's madly magnificent mind, however focusing on the fetishistic angle of his accessories. From the 10-inch Armadillo shoes (Platos Atlantis), the spinning centrepiece of Shalom Harlow's spray painted dress ( No.13 '99) and his chain-mail armours. (The Horn Of Plenty)

One of my favourite rooms was 'Romantic Primitivism', showcasing McQueen's inspiration from the natural world. Collections shown included, ' It's a Jungle Out There '97'- leather bodysuits featuring taxidermied baby crocodile heads, which mimicked epaulettes. Or a pony skin jacket which ejected impala horns out the shoulders.  The collection showed the relationship between predator and prey- the dynamics of power.

'Romantic Exoticism' was, by far the most exciting room to see. First and foremost because it displayed VOSS 2001. The show which was staged in a mirrored box. Meaning the audience could see in, but the models couldn't see out. The piece I had most wanted to see in forever was the red ombré purple dress that Erin O'Connor had worn. Seeing it in person was so overwhelmingly beautiful, the dress itself is so much more than you originally think: dyed ostrich feathers and hand-painted red microscope slides. Incredible! 

To all my readers, I would recommend you go a buy tickets for this exhibition. Personally, I found this exhibit to be so unbelievably beautiful, it made me speechless. It was an emotional experience, you feel like you're in his creative mind. Long may his legacy go on!