Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2019: Sarah Burton is keeping the brand alive and vibrant

 

By man and machine: Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2019-2020 evokes an industrial feel.

For Fall-Winter 2019 collection, Alexander McQueen‘s Creative Designer Sarah Burton went home back to where she grew up in the North of England, surrounded by mill towns and wild countryside. A mix of glass stones, faceted beads and tiny silver chains were used by Burton for dresses inspired by machinery, while silk taffeta dresses in saturated deep red
recalled flowers in full bloom.

” I took my team to those mills, to a landscape that I remember from my childhood. The heart of the collection is inspired by the bolts of cloth we saw woven both by man and machine.” – said Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen Creative Director.

A silver heddle embroidered dress in black tulle is inspired by the heddle of the loom. Laser cut metal heddle sequins mimic the sound of the factory floor when the dress is in motion. Glass stones, metal sequins, faceted and bugle beads are placed in a mechanical pattern to evoke an industrial feel.

A sharply tailored masculine suit with a strong shoulder, defined waist and fluid asymmetric drape is cut in worsted flannels in shades of charcoal grey and anthracite. Woven in the mill towns that are the very soul of the British textile industry, the softness of the local water creates its unique handle. Crafted by hand and machine; threading heddles, warping and wefting combine to create luxurious, authentic cloths.

“It’s armour, but it’s not literal,” Burton told theguardian. “Lee started on Savile Row and McQueen is always about tailoring for me. The jacket is at the heart of what we do. Tailoring is about strength, but it’s also about being held.”

A deconstructed, pleated print dress is inspired by floral photography and post-punk posters. Rose prints on double satin duchess are warped and distorted with lines of saturated fuchsia pink and lust red. The tulle tunic finished with glass stones, metal thread, beads, and bullion embroidery is paired with a silver heddle embroidered dress. The fitted tucked bodice explodes with drapes into a full skirt with petal folds. The dress references the Red Rose of Lancaster.

“The collection was a classic McQueen balancing act between rigorous tailoring and exuberant femininity,” added theguardian. “There were blazers in worsted flannel, cashmere military coats, and a Beefeater-esque scarlet trouser suit. But there was also a corset dress in “lust red”, and a ballgown of sunray-pleated tulle. ”

Kering, Alexander McQueen’s parent company, is sending strong messages and a clear signal of the commitment to the luxury brand which unveiled of a lavish flagship store in London.

“McQueen is not only a brand that you buy, it is also a house where you’re trying to feel a creative experience. You need to feel something, and this is why you go to McQueen,” said Alexander McQueen CEO, Emmanuel Gintzburger.