Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Paris Fashion Week Coverage
Alexander McQueen Spring 2012
If Givenchy and Chanel’s undersea runway shows were light and dreamy, Alexander McQueen’s version was dark and ferocious. Designer Sarah Burton took us once more unto the breach with a sartorial assault of intimidating, theatrical looks that were honed by Burton’s featherweight touch and confident tailoring.
With only 33 looks, there was no time for subtlety. This collection hummed with the quiet fury of Atlacamani, the Aztec goddess of oceanic storms. Fearsome looks were enhanced by clinging suits – waists cinched in by wide belts and cleavage pushed up by bustier boning. They cut a severe figure on the runway. Burton’s models wore their faces veiled and covered by clingy masks. This tactic obscured their visage, and worked to thrust the heart-pounding outfits to the center of the stage. The texture of the voluminous ruffles, latex mosaics, marabou trim, and cascading layers of bunched organza worked to create the feel of a bustling coral reef. This wasn’t a seascape of a clean tide pool. Instead, it was a scene from a sunken ship hidden away in the murky depths, with barnacles growing on every surface. That being said, it was utterly, sickeningly gorgeous. This is a collection so artistic and divine as to give the viewer Stendhal syndrome.
written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway
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This Week’s Highlights
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{Videos}
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