i've a confession...

for those who don't know me, you must must know that one of my favourite designers of all time was and will be for a very long time, mr alexander mcqueen, his innate flair for tailoring, proven by his acceptance onto a course at c.s.m without a formal interview, and then after which he was picked up by isabella blow, and sky rocketed from there. but i'm not here to tell you his biography, there's a book to do that... i'm hear to talk about the clothes and my favourites from over the years.

please be warned, some images contain nudity/sensitive ideas.

 

2010
spring rtw ''plato's atlantis"
models: edythe hughes, drielly oliveira, polina kasina, anastasija kondratjeva,
heidi mount, kasia struss, anya kazakova, hanne gaby odiele

this is one of last collections that mcqueen oversaw personally, and for me it's a slightly sentimental collection. i remember sitting in the study area  for the sixth form with my best friend kelly hanging over a battered acer laptop from two thousand and never, eagerly waiting as the images loaded to see what genius he had come up with this time. kelly and i were greeted with the lovechild of gaga and darwin, with models covered in white pan and hair done up in the shape of antlers and rabbit ears. these alien-esqe pieces are developed from images of snakeskin, leopard print, and other animal skins which were then digitally enhanced and moulded to form patterns that resemble an animal print you can't quite put your finger on, is it a sniger? a pea-raffe? the black patterns are then printed onto a multi-coloured fabric from greens, blues, yellows and tans. but that's not the only thing that this collection covers, the later pieces look like the remnants of the alien's suits, metallics, blues, wiring and holographic fabrics in silhouettes both streamlined and angular. it's impossible for me to find something i dislike about this collection.

   1995
couture 'highland rape'

the catwalk is lined with moss, clumps of scottish oak leaves and pumped with clouds of dry ice to give the sense of a foggy scottish moor. all this so mcqueen can talk about the 'rape' of scotland by the english and a subject which had resonance with the designer as his family is historically scottish. the collection is heavy on tartan (how couldn't it be?), chiffon and even tampons at points. the dresses are torn, highly revealing, and this is the least controversial part of it! the chiffon is dyed in moss and lichen colours and heat distressed to look like it's lain out on the moor for a month.

2001
spring ready-to-wear
models: jade parfitt, kirsten owen

a large box awaits the audience center stage, the lights come up and it's a 1950's psychiatric ward for women. the models wore alice in wonderland costumes; great eagles perched on fabric wrapped branches; and head scarves wound so tightly they seem that they have mutated from the ladies' head:  extraordinary mussel-shell skirts to impossibly chic pearl-colored cocktail dresses; they slithered and strutted while uselessly attempting to fly over the cuckoo's nest.   

and the future for the mcqueen label? well sarah burton has taken mr mcqueen's place, and although she's not as daring as alexander mcqueen, she chanels the mcqueen code in everything she does, take the baroque opulance in the resort '12 collections for example (pictured below) ms burton takes clasic office and evening wear and twists it to make glizty over-the-top but perfect dresses, and lace blouses fit for any office. 

2012
resort
model: josefien rodermans