Paris - RTW SS13 - Alexander McQueen

City: Paris
Season: Ready-To-Wear, Spring/Summer 2013
Show: Alexander McQueen

Sarah Burton has been in charge of the Alexander McQueen label for over two years now and, along with the occasional wedding dress commission, she has been busy growing the brand and diversifying, all while staying faithful to her late friend’s inimitable aesthetic. Yet, looking at the pictures from the Spring/Summer 2013 show, it is almost as though McQueen never left us. Taking her inspiration from Vargas girls (silhouette) and the habits of honey bees (embellishment), Ms Burton delivered a collection that, were it not for a soupçon of Prada’s Autumn/Winter 2012 shapes, was emblematic of McQueen’s mischief-making heyday. The girls’ faces were hidden behind adapted beekeeping masks, something which reminded me strongly of the scrapyard-inspired headgear the designer included in one of his final collections, and yet these did nothing to detract from the resolutely costume-like creations on offer. Jac Jagaciak (or at least I think that’s who it is behind the mask) wore an utterly breathtaking black ball gown with an exaggerated hip (centre), while Aleksandra Marczyk wore an incredible ensemble with a waspie-cinched waist (top centre), a modern take on a Victorian look. The silhouette remained waist-focused throughout - doubtless a reaction to Autumn/Winter 2012’s exploded proportions - regardless of whether the outfit in question was a black tie gown or an of-the-moment trouser suit. Yes it was mad, but it was also marvellous and very, very McQueen.

This piece was originally published on alisonlaurabell.tumblr.com in October 2012.