By Ruchira Haldar
With his typical flair for style and drama, Alexander McQueen staged his spring collection for Paris Fashion Week. The collection seemed to have something for everyone’s tastes: from sharply-cut jackets for the practical at heart to bubble-hemmed dresses and skirts which indulged McQueen’s long-time affair with the theatre, in colors that remained starkly neutral and contrasted with the bold character of most of his line.
In the designer’s own words, “We must be willing to live and love deeply, to open our hearts and explore our feelings, even if to do so is painful.” McQueen’s entire career has been in fact, a self-exploration and reflects his fearlessness to take risks while introducing his own unconventional interpretation of style. Apprenticing at fashionable Savile Row in his early teens, he then moved on to designing for a theatrical company and later for the French couture house Givenchy. A four-time winner of the British Designer of the Year award, McQueen bested himself by achieving “A Most Excellent Commander of the British Empire” by Her Majesty the Queen in 2003. A recent partnership with the Gucci Group enabled him to spread his sartorial wings further, developing a signature fragrance, “Kingdom”, and an accessory line.
Alexander McQueen’s latest collection stayed true to form. It juxtaposed past with present, tame colors with dramatic shapes, and conservative hemlines with sheer, transparent fabrics. Dominant colors included blacks, ivories, grays and light pinks. Every ensemble coming down the runway was unpredictable but the designer could never be accused of being boring. The dresses were 18th-century corsets, mostly stopping at the knee and billowing out either at the sleeves or around the hemline. Some dresses were sleeveless or short-sleeved and constructed of transparent flowing fabric on either the top or bottom, seeming to cover the figure yet hiding nothing. Muted gray pants would be paired with a fitted matching jacket, in a nod to his Savile Row days. Yet other gray trousers would be topped with asymmetrical tiers of pink lace, going down to the floor. Hair was pulled back and shoes were mostly high heels, making for an elegant and feminine presentation. All in all, McQueen delivered gracefully and showed Paris just why he is one of the world’s most famous designers.
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