Sarah Burton, talented designer that since a few years ago took control of the brand orphaned of Lee McQueen, presented last February the womenswear collection for the coming Autumn/Winter season in a very private form.
Handmade dresses, that are perfect in every detail, full of embroideries, beads and golden baguettes. Unique dresses, totally couture, that are the result of the mastery of craftsmen that took inspiration from the priest’s cassocks during the Elizabethan era. From these 10 astounding looks the main collection has been conceived, that will be on sale in the shops, while the "couture" collection will only be on demand, and will probably make the new ladies of the Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) happy.
In the prêt-à-porter collection, the colors, materials (such as velvet) and the inspiration are kept, while the silhouette is changed, by becoming more daywear, and so did the price.
While some of the audience are having a problem with the costume-y feel of the collection, let's don't forget what McQueen is all about. The endurance of fashion from the thousand-years-old historical linearity of the craft. McQueen is not about post-20th century austerity. Elle from La Petite Anglaise depicts it perfectly: "The intricate, impractical almost non-sensical beauty of this collection is precisely what I love so much about it. With Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham delivering flawless everyday luxury, I think it’s both interesting and encouraging to see their fellow female British Fashion Designer of the Year winner doing the polar opposite and doing it so darn well. In some ways I can’t help but feel that this kind of awe-inspiring, artistic expression is what high fashion is really all about." I can't get rid off the impression that when it comes to the traditional aspect of fashion, McQueen makes the omnipresent minimalism, so overhyped by other brands' RTW collections, look plainly mediocre. What we truly love in McQueen is that, unlike most of other brands that try to follow the street wear, his definition of high fashion still remain true to the literate context of being "high".
Honestly, this is the most beautiful ready-to-wear collection I have ever seen.
(Pictures from the store courtesy of La Petite Anglaise)
