Even by Sarah Burton’s extremely high standards and vision, this was one of her finest for AW’15
Perfectly executed, Burton’s array of Victorian melodrama heroines stayed as true to Alexander McQueen’s vision even if the late great Lee would have ensured a more theatrical staging. On the eve of the launch of the feted McQueen retrospective, ‘Savage Beauty’ at the V&A, Burton’s Gothic gargantuanism never held back and was far too beautiful to be broken down into its elements. This was a show that made any fashion addict scream. From the precise tailoring to the raw finished laces and the sharp-as-a-knife leather plisse dresses, Burton made the jaw drop.
Slim line printed leather coats with fur collars were shown cheek by jowl with layered, high-collared chiffon and net frills – for day as well as evening. Burton played with couture with three quarter length wide sleeves on shifts and jackets, seemingly raw & spliced but instead, intricately appliqued. Lace bra corseting was worn under slash-to-naval day dresses. Take the Victoriana staging away and this could have been Karl at Chanel in an earlier guise (and pre his latest classic twist).
Leather loomed large with crop Boudica warrior tops worn against two-tone plisse skirts. Balloon hems came in folds and drapes and the finest had huge floral motif edges. All worn with strictly Dom, elbow-length leather gloves.
Burton’s McQueen is that of Red Carpet with a difference. These dramatic shredded layers of black chiffon were full beam drama. The finest pale pink dewy rose dress billowed in froth but fabulously – not sickly. Sheer chiffon rose prints had hems of rose motifs and gathered rose sleeves. Hell, there was even lots of flesh on show. But that of the Daphne Guinness classy flesh baring rather than the budding starlet drawing attention to a new cleavage type.
When Burton sees red she excels. As in her column of red & nude chiffon and lace topped with a vibrant red feather capelet. Simply and quite Savagely Beautiful.
Catwalk images kindly supplied by www.style.com
