Alexander McQueen label débuts Sarah Burton's collection
The most anticipated collection has finally arrived. Following the death of Alexander McQueen protégée Sarah Burton steps forward to reveal the Spring/ Summer 2011 show in Paris.
“McQueen is about very strong, powerful women but I wanted them to feel tender as well”, says Sarah Burton. From the first garment to the last you can see that Burton and McQueen shared a complete symbiosis and that she has captured the essence of his previous designs. Burton has taken the dramatic silhouettes, sharp structured cuts and trademark looks of McQueen's designs and made them more feminine, soft and free.
This is evident in the first few white formal garments. The hard peaked shoulders were a McQueen signature but on a cropped fitted blazer they are slashed open to look more relaxed. Also to soften the original sharp McQueen look the edges are left unfinished and the Victorian styling is soft. Ruffles and neck ties are used to complete the piece. Considering his Autumn/ Winter 2010 collection the gold brocade theme is carried through onto midnight blue suits. The military-esque silk jacket contains intricately made gold leaf designs, exposed shoulders and a mandarin collar. The gold leaf design is also included on a pair of high-waisted cropped trousers.
The collection's inspiration is firmly rooted in nature, from the woven hair to the wheat dresses. Guido Palau, hair stylist says, “We took inspiration from the land and people making things like basket weaving and pagan and straw dolls. It has an earthy quality.” The model's hair is exactly like a woven basket and hangs plaited right down to the waist, and the make-up is simple and pure. The nature theme cannot be denied with the two beautiful perplexing butterfly dresses. These high necked bustle dresses are displayed in cool blue and flaming amber with the monarch butterflies extending out as if they want to be free. Butterflies were also shown on dresses at Loewe, Carlos Miele, Jun Jun Cambe and on a blouse at Sportmax; confirming them as a Spring/Summer trend for 2011.
Another dress that also encapsulates the theme is one that's made of raffia and wheat. The model looks exactly like a straw doll but, somehow is still elegant with a heart shaped neckline and wheat covered heels. The British pagan and 'boho' look is conveyed in three angelic white dresses. The first is a broderie anglaise dress with cutaway shoulders and tassels hanging from the bottom. Another has a high neck with a georgette silhouette and a gilded cinch belt which is trademark McQueen.
Burton ended the collection with some show-stopping dresses including gold leaf brocade, black encompassing ivy-like flowers, dark tie-dye ruffles and magnificent ostentatious ostrich feathers. The last song chosen to play was Michael Jackson's I'll Be There. The front row, including actress Salma Hayek, Editor-at-large of Vogue Japan Anna Dello Russo, and American Vogue's Grace Coddington all sighed a sigh of relief that the show had been magnificent and were sure that Lee Alexander can rest happily knowing his legacy will live on.
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