(Source: instagram.com, via johngallianotheking)
Alexander McQueen A/W 2009 “The Horn of Plenty”
Alexander McQueen’s Autumn/Winter show in 2009, titled “The Horn of Plenty”, was nothing short of a masterpiece. A self-aware fashion retrospective, McQueen layered the history of his own design legacy with classic couture designs famous in the fashion world, such as the Christian Dior New Look houndstooth, and Chanel tweed. All of this was centered on the juxtaposition of extreme glamour vs. trash. In fact, the centerpiece for the runway was a large pile of ‘trash’, composed of pieces from Lee’s earlier runway collections, spray-painted black.
Models were made up in a terrifying style- lips over-drawn and skin painted white, with no eyebrows or lashes to speak of. It was a reference to Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil”, and an effective social commentary. The models also wore sculptural trash on their heads– everything from plastic bags to umbrellas to lampshades– all meticulously coordinated with the outfits worn with them.
The clothes were at a couturier’s level, undoubtedly. McQueen’s short tenure at the French couture house of Givenchy had given him the skills to cut elaborate ballgowns out of plastic bag material, and seamlessly present bird designs (his signature, in an MC Escher design) under a skirt covered in red bird feathers. Birds were, in fact, a centerpiece of the design theme, with the collection’s closing being two feathered concoctions: one in white, with the collar reaching high over the model’s shoulders, and the other in sleek black, with wings bursting out the sides. McQueen had reached the ultimate level of ingenuity and craftsmanship with this collection, which he maintained until his suicide in February of 2010.
SKAM (2015-2017)
be kind. always.
