LFWM 2020 – Alexander McQueen
Lavish tailoring and textural sublimity from the famous fashion house. By Chidozie Obasi
Sumptuous is conceivably the most apposite term to describe McQueen’s latest collection at LFWM for Spring/Summer 2020. Classic tailoring was reconstructed, shaped and pieced together, referencing the Autumn/ Winter 2019 womenswear collection that featured asymmetric suiting in men’s pinstripe fabrics, derived from the textile mills in the north of England. Bursting with a remarkable hymn to tradition, grace, sophistication and awe, The Charterhouse setting for their LFWM show in London’s east end was injected with an empowering overdose of sartorial poise alongside an ephemeral depiction of what true luxury should appear to be.
Photo: Ethan James Green
The collection integrated a superb array of highly refined pieces, ranging from double-layered jackets panelled in various scales of pinstripe, double-dyed black wool gabardines and grey tonic mohair – recalling an early nineties McQueen signature. Suiting was dressed with striped or white cotton shirting and an exploration of hybrid garments lingered in the air – satin bomber sleeves and cotton gabardines nodded to an epoch eager to expand into new tailoring territories. ‘Englishness’ took a vengeance like never before, both in terms of provenance and a subversive approach towards suiting. Black wool was used to create long and ruffled jackets, with erudite details that decked entire fabric surfaces draping all the way to the floor.
Photo: Ethan James Green
There were suits in blazing white broderie anglaise and head-to-toe fuchsia ensembles. In addition, the collection invoked creative director Sarah Burton and founder Lee McQueen’s inspirational trips to Japan. Kilted jackets nodded to McQueen himself as underlying creative energy of the label’s status. Further evidence of this legacy and progressive evolution was seen not only in the surface prints but also in dragon motifs featured on double-layered jackets. Furthermore, flowered designs reverberated across suits and trenches, with models wearing attention-grabbing pendants paired with leather shoes. Grace, sartorial delicacy and compliant winsome-ness? We’ll soon be relishing all three.
Photo: Ethan James Green
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