Givenchy Redux: Alexander McQueen houndstooth exaggerated Portrait Collared suitCouture Wonderment was handed over on a Fashion Silver Plate--or more on a broken-glass runway stage--by the design genius of Alexander McQueen this past week for the Paris Fall 2009/10 Season. While every other designer showed recessionista fashions--dark, moody, underwhelming perhaps--mirroring the state of the depressing world economy and the state of retail and fashion in general--one of the last "bad boys" of fashion said "to Hell with that!"
The Flying Mitered-stripes Nun: Alexander McQueen Fall 2009/10For Fall 2009/10, Alexander McQueen decided to just "serve it" to everyone; the way a fierce Drag Queen "serves" it to you at a Drag Queen Walk-Off! Speaking of Drag Queen, the make up and styling was beyond out of control: The Leigh Bowery-meets-Amanda Lepore sex-doll lipstick, the Edie Beale "Grey Gardens" head wraps and fabulous lamp-shade hats from the genius of hat designer Philip Treacy (some of the hats actually had soda/beer cans tucked and wrapped into the models hairstyles!). It all added to the in-your-face collection that made editors, buyers and fashionistas alike speechless.
200 Pattern Pieces: A Museum-worthy Leather Coat from McQueen's Fall 2009/10 CollectionIn essence, McQueen decided to pay homage to his "Best Hits"(he's done this before) as well as give a nod to the old guard of Couturiers such as Hubert de Givenchy and Dior with twisted yet divine representations on hounstooth suitings and the New Look silhouette. When I first looked at the images, I was like "Is this Couture?" because it certainly was not Ready-to-Wear. The pieces were exquisitely complicated, tailored to an inch of the models size 2 bodies, bias cutting, mitering perfectly into a seam, a la Adrian; it had all the elements of a Museum-worthy Haute Couture Collection. I think he definitely blurred the line with Couture vs. Pret-a-Porter with this collection.
Lacroix is Jealous: Pouffed silk printed gown, Alexander McQueen Fall 2009/10The gowns were either double-pouffed silks, twisted and knotted in ways that will leave true devoted lovers of the art of fashion in awe (and I, for one, would love to take a look at those pattern pieces and deconstruct it all) or tightly packed feather concoctions that would make the most beautiful of swans blush.
Pheasant Anyone? White feathered cocktail dress, Alexander McQueen Fall 2009/10Thank God he's got the Gucci Group backing him, otherwise, to be honest, he would not have been able to create such a spectacle of Couture-worthy pieces. This is not something an up-and-coming designer could ever afford to do (even if he or she were technically able to do it). And some Industry insiders argued whether or not it was even wise for McQueen to do it (see Style.com Review HERE). It all made for a collection that would be talked about for months to come and isn't that really the point anyway?!
Click on the two videos below for highlights of the Alexander McQueen Fall 2009/10 Runway Show The First shows close-ups of those "soda/beer can" headwraps...