Alexander McQueen FW20

[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_text class=”center-text “]by Danny de la Cruz

Photo credit: Runway courtesy of Alexander McQueen; Re-see event by VRAI Magazine[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]A 47 look collection for Fall/Winter 2020 inspired by love letters and Wales is the Alexander McQueen collection for Paris Fashion Week. The runway event occurred on the evening of March 2nd and I had a chance to discover the collection up close and personal during a “Re-see” event the next day. Overall, the beautiful collection had a clear point of view and robust story to tell. With a range of silhouettes, the intertwining story and inspiration brought a cohesivness across the looks.

“The collection is a love letter to women and to families, colleagues and friends. We went to Wales and were inspired by the warmth of its artistic and poetic heritage, by its folklore and the soul of its craft. The woman is courageous, grounded, bold: heroic. There is a sense of protection in the clothes, of safety and comfort, evoked through quilting and blankets. The hearts are a symbol of togetherness, of being there for others.” – Sarah Burton Creative Director.

Upon entering the large, open space, each of the looks were on display, neatly lined up row after row on dress forms with bag accessories presented on both sides of the space. The finale looks were staged in the back of the space to clearly set them apart from the rest of the collection.

A “re-see” presentation event where the clothes can speak for themselves gives one the time to soak in the details, understand the inspiration and reflect on the overall impact of the collection as a whole. I wandered each row, inspecting the pieces, and then was provided an overview by the team that was on hand to provide more background and answer questions.

Several design elements caught my eye – the heart motif formed by white lace on several pieces and the overall heart shape carried throughout the collection in necklines and accessories. Spoons were another element seen in the collection and referenced “love spoons” – a traditional token of endearment carved from a single piece of wood. Quilting was another prominent design element in several looks and provided that element of protection, even an armor-like appearance.

What really caught my eye were the looks with a patchwork design – multi-colored pieces with animal motifs such as horse, dove and panther and even a leek – all hand-embroidered into the looks. Inspiration for the patchwork design came from a quilt at St. Fagans National Museum of History which took more than ten years to create beginning in 1842 by master tailor James Williams.

Finally, in terms of accessories, the stretch-leather, thigh-high boots and the Mechanical heels with metal pointed toes caught my eye. And for bags, the Story Book pieces are new – stand them on their side and they look just like a beautifully crafted leather-bound book.

Rich in history and filled with love, I was thrilled to be able to see Sarah Burton’s latest creations up close and personal.[/x_text][x_tab_nav type=”two-up” float=”top”][x_tab_nav_item title=”Runway ” active=”true”][x_tab_nav_item title=”Re-see Event” active=”false”][/x_tab_nav][x_tabs][x_tab active=”true”][/x_tab][x_tab active=”false”][/x_tab][/x_tabs][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section]