McQueen Reflections

Alexander McQueen seems to be blissfully out of the reach of most people. I my-self have never even had the pleasure of seeing, let alone wearing a piece of his refined art work.

Coming across recent images by his successor Sarah Burton I couldn’t help but just stare intently at my computer screen with absolute awe. The details, the story behind the designs it’s just so overwhelming.

Even though Sarah’s vision lacks the shock and drama of Alexander McQueen’s collection, she infuses her designs with subtle mystery and a very peculiar romanticism. Something I could actually see my-self wearing.

Looking at the impressive Spring/Summer 2012 collection which is characterized by dresses and shirt suits embellished with embroidery lace and contrasting materials.  (Take a look at the videos at the end and you’ll see how this material actually lives and moves on the women wearing it, something a single shot image could never capture)

She mentions that her inspiration was the underwater world yet the colour palette includes pastel and powdery shades, in addition to black , silver and gold which doesn’t really have that reef take of coral colours like one would think, instead it portrays the interior of the fish with its pink salmon like flesh and  outer translucent scales. This marries nicely with subtle references to lingerie which gives it strong structure.

Lingerie isn’t new; look at Jean-Paul Gaultier but Sarah Burton’s approach is delicate, ethereal and very empowering. One thing in particular that caught my eye was the wireless bra which was a very interesting element.

The addition of the wireless bra (if you wanted to over analyse that element) could be considered as an idea of an artificially perfect woman, embracing her own beauty without any support- which has often be considered impractical and pointlessly extravagant.

These pieces are a mixture of decay and romanticism and sings of the late McQueen’s legacy, but it also mirrors Burton’s fresh and more subtle approach.

Burton combines artistry and technical genius, masculine and feminine, both minimal and over the top ornateness. Even though Alexander is sadly no longer with us, I still love the sense of magic, where I seem to be drawn to the rapture that she evokes.

“I was thinking about a woman as an object of desire. We go to such lengths to adorn ourselves that we almost become our clothes or are taken over by them. This is a collection about excess-an exploration of ideals of beauty at their most extreme”

Just have a look at these images- they are extraordinary......

Amazing fashion show check it out

Behind the scenes with Sarah Burton