29.10.11

Paris SS'12 - Alexander McQueen

I was reading a review of the Alexander McQueen show a couple of days ago, and came across something like "In Sarah Burton's third outing at McQueen..." and I had to do a double take. Wait really? This is seriously only Burton's third show? I counted off on my fingers: pagan goddess; bondage in white; and this! Sea monsters/godesses! Time sure does move strangely. It feels like Burton's been at the helm forever but only this time last year she debuted. It's safe to say that she's defied everyone's expectations by carrying on so magnificently. You could argue that it has worked so well because Burton spent so long as McQueen's right hand (wo)man, but take just one look at how Bill Gaytten is doing at Dior and you know that that kind of background doesn't guarantee success.



Well once again this was one of those shows where the runway shots don't do it justice. What does do a little more justice are the detail shots, and what does a little more justice than that are the videos. Although I can't even imagine what it would be like witnessing it in the flesh. (But let's not weep over that, according to Cathy Horyn in the video below, it's ok that I don't get invited to shows!).
It matters a little more than usual not being able to see the clothes move though, because movement is what moved this collection into the extraordinary. When the models walked, the skirts looked like sea anemones undulating in the water. Like there was serious undulation going on. How on earth could you orchestrate that? Is Sarah Burton a scientist? Wut?? Every review mentions this, but heck it's with good reason: the ruffles were hand massaged. And I don't have the vocabulary yet to describe the construction of the clothes, but I will say this: I thought the beginning of this video was actually filmed underwater.


Diving for McQueen on Nowness.com.

And now I'm just going to go overboard and not exercise much editing control.


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