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OceanofPDF.com THE HOUSE OF GIVENCHY
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OceanofPDF.com T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y 53 Hubert de Givenchy, the legendary French couturier, retired in 1995. Bernard Arnault, CEO of the fashion house’s parent company LVMH, turned to the world of young British designers, hoping to find a successor who would inject fresh energy into the staid world of French haute couture. A lthough Is abell a Blow encouraged Arnault to choose McQueen str a ight away, the job first went to John Ga l l i a n o – but a year later Ga l l i a n o moved to Dior and McQueen wa s offered the creative directorship of Givenchy. The choice of the “bad boys” of British fashion to head up two of the most traditional Paris fashion houses was controversial. At the time the New York Time s described the move as “a blow to French c u lt u r a l pride”, saying that McQueen and Ga l l i a n o “are famously working c l a ss, wild and dr awn to such provocative impulses as buttocks-baring trousers and spray-painted leather suits.” O P P O S I T E Al e x a n d e r Mc Q u e e n photog r aphed in the Givenchy salon in Paris in 1 9 9 6 , s h o rtl y after tak ing up the role of a rtisti c director. A SOJOURN IN PARIS
OceanofPDF.com 54 T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y Initially, McQueen himself was also unsure. In Judith Wats’ book Alexander McQueen: Fashion Visionary , she explains that the designer was almost talked out of accepting the role, quoting Alice Smith, part of the fashion consultancy duo Smith & Pye who supported McQueen in the early 1990s: “I told him not to do it – the place wouldnt’ suit him... He wouldnt’ be able to cope with the snobbery of Paris. He said ‘Yeah!’” But a million-pound de a l wa s too good to turn down, and in October 1996, McQueen headed to Paris. Controversially, McQueen took the st y list Ka t y Engl and with him – but not Is abell a Blow, who, having p a rtl y facilitated the de a l with Givenchy on the assumption she would be given a paid role at the couture house, was deva st a ted, not least be c ause she needed the money. McQueen’s Ea st End background and the a tri c a l design aesthetic could not have made him more different to the aristocratic and understated Hubert de Givenchy, yet he shared the le g enda r y designer’s te chni c a l brilli anc e. Keen to show what a working-class Brit could do, the outspoken McQueen arrived at Givenchy a rrogantly proc l a iming his predecessor was “irrelevant”. His first show, for Givenchy’s S/S 1997 haute couture line, wa s entitled Se a r ch for the Golden Fleece. Inspired by Ancient Greece, it focused on a palette of gold and white, reminiscent of both the golden era of Hollywood and the house motif. It wa s f u l l of the biz a rre elements that fashion watchers had be gun to expe c t from McQueen, including a headpiece of sheep’s horns and a model we a ring giant wing s while perched on the first-floor balcony of the École des Be aux -Arts. Unfortunately, the show wa s not well received, with Amy M. Spindler of the New York Times s aying, “it seemed too str ang e for Givenchy couture and not creative enough for his own name”. Marion Hume, writing in the Financial Times,
OceanofPDF.com T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y 55 B E LOW Al e x a n d e r Mc Q u e e n eme rg ed to a p p l a u s e at the end of his d ebut show for Givenchy, Search for the Gold en Fleece. agreed: “Wha t he left out wa s a dark side.” A year later, McQueen a lso admitted he wa s unhappy with his debut for Givenchy, telling Vogue succinctly in October 1997, “I know it wa s crap.” McQueen put himself under huge pressure juggling both couture and ready-to-wear for Givenchy in Paris and continuing to design and st age shows for the Ale x ander McQueen label in London. However, his critical suc c ess under his own name undoubtedly went a long way in shoring up his credibility at Givenchy.
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OceanofPDF.com T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y 5 7 His next Givenchy collection was ready-to-wear for A / W 1997, and wa s named Lady Leopard. The show saw models, clad in sharply tailored a n ima l-s k i n coats, their tight s k irts slit thigh-high, prowl through a former slaughterhouse. McQueen explained that he had t aken his inspiration from the underbelly world of dr a g queens and low-budget sexploitation films. He told Harriet Quick in the Sunday Telegraph : “I want to t a k e Givenchy onto a new platform; it is the se x u a l energy that is important.” Lady Leopard was more positively received, with Ia in R. Webb in The Times opining: “This collection proved that the young punk from Ea st London is now ready to play with the big boys.” McQueen’s first two shows for Givenchy had been relatively tame for a designer renowned for his love of the macabre and ability to shock, but his second haute couture show was f a r more contentious. Devised in collaboration with Simon Costin, and entitled Eclect Dissect, the show was presented at the Université René Descartes medical school – appropriate, given its subject matter. It recalled the story of an 1890s surgeon who killed women around the world and then put them back together piecemeal. The gothic staging included medical specimens in jars as well as live ravens in huge cages at either end of the runway. Every outfit wa s a brilliant assemblage of different styles, periods and c u lt u r a l references, evoking the far-flung places where the morbid surgeon found his v i c tims. McQueen’s inspiration r anged from the tribes of Afri c a and the geisha women of the Ea st to British Victoriana and futuristi c headpieces. The horrific a spe c t of stitching the women’s body p a rts back together was reflected in outfits such as a black leather dress with a coll a r of red pheasant feathers, embellished by vulture s kul ls made of resin. O P P O S I T E For A / W 1997 Mc Q u e e n presented a hairlike silver dress with a silhouette that e c h o e d bird wings, the i m a g e r y e nha n c e d by the mod el’s p o r c u p i n e - quill headpiece. Her neck-ring j ewe l l e r y by Shaun Leane is inspired by that of the Kayan tribe of Myanmar.
OceanofPDF.com 58 T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y R I G H T A N D O P P O S I T E One of McQueen’s more suc cessful coll e c tions for Givenchy was Eclect Diss e c t, ba sed on the ma c a bre tale of a murd erous surg eon. He ranged across cult ures, s t y l e s and p e riod s to create rich and luxurious o u tfits. T h e s e d esigns h ig hlig ht McQueen’s use of colour, e m b r o i d e r y and tac tile e m b e l l is h m e n ts, such as his beloved f e a t h e rs.
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OceanofPDF.com 60 T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y Other garments, such as a series of silk satin kimonos with embroidered sleeves, were less gruesome, and showed McQueen’s ma sterf u l gr a sp of clothing construction. He a lso included a good amount of his personal favourites: t a r t a n and black lace. His obsession with birds – both live and stuffed in the Victorian tradition of t axidermy – had followed him to Givenchy; one model held a dead falcon, while another appeared in a hat that had a live bird trapped within it. Other finishing touches included a coiled coll a r ne ckl a c e by Shaun Le ane, inspired by the neck-stretching jeweller y of the Ka y a n tribe in Myanmar. But one person who did not like what McQueen wa s doing in Paris wa s Hubert de Givenchy himself, who was quoted in the Daily Telegraph as s aying: “I g l anc e at the fashion pages to see what’s happening at Maison Givenchy. Total disaster.” Over the next couple of ye a rs, McQueen veered from showing clothes on plastic mannequins and st y ling models in a clumsy reference to the android cha r a c ter Ra cha el in the iconic 1982 film Blade Runner to attempting commercial suc c ess with a series of unexciting outfits. The contrast with the designs he wa s producing for his own label – which were receiving rave critical attention – was huge. McQueen wa s deeply unhappy and furious at what he considered undeser vedly poor reviews, bl aming the culture of control at the haute couture house. He told the Obser ver in 2001: “I had no support from the French. I’d design, they'd chang e the whole t h i n g , and then the press would give me the fl ak for it. It was a c a se of too many cooks.” McQueen’s position at Givenchy fina ll y be c ame untenable when he committed the ultimate sin and sold a controlling st a k e in his own Ale x ander McQueen label to LVMH’s rival, Gucci Group. He left Givenchy in 2001 to return to London.
OceanofPDF.com T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y 61 L E F T An e l a bora t e ly coiffed Naomi Ca m p b e l l wears a tailored reptilian dress with padd ed s hou l d e rs, a c c e ssoriz ed by an animal bone ank let for Givenchy A / W 1997 haute cout ure.
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OceanofPDF.com T H E H O U S E OF G I V E N C H Y 63 On reflection, fashion commentators admit the critics treated McQueen’s collections for Givenchy poorly, with Lisa Armstrong writing for Vogue : “When I look back I t h i n k it aged pretty well … These t h i n g s get very hyped up to create a d r ama . It wa s a lot of pressure to put on such a young person.” R I G H T Despite the challenges he faced at Givenchy, Mc Q u e e n did manage to introduce a little of his own signat ure. Take, for e x ampl e , this elegant geisha-inspired outfit of a crossover, tailored day dress from McQueen’s Givenchy S/S 1999 col l e c tion. It feat ures a g eome tri c print with a p e rfo r a t e d lilac floral-printed leather corset and match ing s culpt ura l ha t. O P P O S I T E Here, Mc Q u e e n has p e rf e c tl y capt ured the Ho l l ywo o d g l amou r combined with regal elegance that epitomized the Hous e of Givenchy. Mod e l Ca rl a Bruni wore a blac k and silver bias-cut evening gown a d o r n e d with s p a r k l ing c r y s t a ls and a s t a r b u rs t d etail on the should er.
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OceanofPDF.com BACK IN LONDON
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OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 6 7 A cockney at heart, McQueen was most at home in London, where he could give free reign to his creative genius and throw himself into presenting increasingly theatrical shows for his Alexander McQueen la bel. IT’ S A JUNGLE OUT T H E R E (A/ W 1997) At the same time as McQueen wa s sending louche, leopardskin-clad models down the Givenchy c a twa l k , he wa s e xpanding the theme for his own label in London. In marked contrast to the s anitized set that he used in Paris, It’s a Jungle Out There wa s set a g a i n st the backdrop of Borough Market – in medie va l times, it had been the city’s first red light distri c t. In 1599 Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre opened nearby, ma k i n g the area a haven for both theatre and the sex trade, a perfect locale for McQueen’s erotic, flamboyant fashion. O P P O S I T E A t y p i c a l outfit from It’s a Jungle Out The re . The dress is mad e from faux cow h id e with a stencil-cut floral p a tt e r n . The drama ti c kohl eyeliner was inspired by the Thomson’s gazelle, an inn oc ent creat ure preyed on by lions and hyenas, wh ich Mc Q u e e n felt accurately conveyed his sense that we are all being m e t a p h o ri c a l l y eaten alive. THE EVOLUTION OF A FASHION VISIONARY
OceanofPDF.com 68 BACK I N L O N D O N The set wa s built around vast sheets of corrugated iron riddled with f ake bullet holes, and wrecked c a rs – a dire c t reference to the 1978 film Eyes of Laura Mars – with d r y ice pouring out from both sides. The dark lighting and smoky atmosphere gave the production a sinister edge. The sharply tailored clothes, costumelike in their d r ama , were made from a n i m a l hides, black leather and acid-washed denim. Antlers, claws and t axidermy crocodile heads e x a g g er a ted the wildlife theme. The models were styled with messy ha ir and dr ama ti c kohl eyeliner, their eyes covered in black contact lenses. The inspiration for both the make-up and the story behind the show c ame from a singul a rl y innocent creature, the Thomson’s g a zel le, which McQueen had seen in a nature documentary. He wa s quoted in the Daily Telegraph , reflecting on the l andma rk show as s aying: “I watched those g a zel les g etting munched by lions and hyenas and said, ‘That’s me!’” He told Time Out ma g a zi n e at the time: “It’s a poor little critter – the markings are lovely. It’s got these dark eyes … horns – but it is the food chain of Afric a . As soon as it’s born it’s d e a d , I mean you’re lucky if it lasts a few months, and that’s how I see human life, in the same way. You know, we can all be discarded quite easily … You’re there, you’re gone, it’s a jungle out t h ere!” The show was remembered as much for its the a tri c s as for its fashion, including a dr ama ti c moment when one of the c a rs a lmost caught fire. But with hindsight, the philosophy behind it said a lot about how McQueen felt at the time about his place in the fashion industry, and his disquiet about his role at Givenchy. U N T I T L E D (S/S 1998) McQueen’s S/S 1998 show wa s not, in fact, ori g ina ll y c a l le d
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 69 R I G H T A N D B E LOW T he invitation to McQueen’s It’s a Jungle Out The re feat ures a s t y l iz e d Nick Knig ht photograph of mod e l De b r a Shaw in a state of tr a n sfo r m a ti o n .
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OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 7 1 O P P O S I T E True to the show’s original name, the finale feat ured m o d e ls dre ss ed in virginal white, some wearing Shaun Leane’s metallic crowns of t h o r n s, being d r e n c h e d by a gold en-hued shower. O V E R L E A F Th is st unning outfit consists of a ba c k l e ss ha lt e rne c k silk top and a circular s k irt mad e entirely from fan-like strips of lig htweig ht b a ls a wood, in a laser-cut p a tt e r n that flared dr ama ti c a l ly out from the mod el’s wa is t. Untitled but Golden Shower. As pa rt of the show’s the a tri c s, models were drenched in golden-hued water from a sprinkler, a more modest t a k e on McQueen's contentious choice of title which backers, Ameri c an Express, had understandably ba l ked at. Rather petulantly, McQueen refused to officially rename the show so it remained Untitled. The runway was made from water-filled Lucite t a n k s lit with an eerie ultraviolet light and the models were styled in long, sleek wigs and d a r k l y fringed f a lse eyela shes. As in his previous show, the ba ckstor y was evolution, but rather t h a n the plains of Afri c a , this show referenced “the emergence of amphibious creatures from primeva l mud onto land”, as Judith Watt put it, in her book Alexander McQueen: Fashion Visionary (2014). The models were dressed in form-fitting s n a k es k i n dresses and various garments made only from bondage-style strips. A top of slashed fring es of leather, the model’s naked breasts on display, implied a tooth-and-claw fight for s u r v i v a l . Despite this, the overall aesthetic wa s more mi n ima l t h a n in many of McQueen’s collections and the finale saw ever y model dressed in white, drenched by the “golden shower”, their ma s c a r a r u n n i n g and the fabric of their clothes slowly turning transparent. JOAN (A/ W 1998) For A / W 1998 McQueen harked back to the death of Catholic m a r t y r Joan of Ar c , who wa s burned at the st ake, as well as to the tr agedy of the murders of the Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Never one to shy away from the image of death, McQueen included printed ima g es of the Tsar’s children on sever a l of the garments. The show wa s held at Victoria’s Ga tliff Road warehouse, a decrepit former bus depot. For this season McQueen chose fire as his element du jour, covering the Perspex runway in f ake
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OceanofPDF.com 74 BACK I N L O N D O N volcanic ash. The medie va l Joan of Arc reference was literally embodied by dresses made of c h a i nma i l and leather “armour”. The colour palette of blood red, silver and black evoked both the instruments of war and the death of the simple pe a s ant girl who led France to victor y a g a i n st the English on the word of God. With a blunt dire c tness t y p i c a l of McQueen, the se x u a l ize d body l a n g u a g e of the models was t h r u st uncomfortably a g a i n st the murder of innocents. The collection wa s te x t u r a l l y rich and included McQueen’s signature t a r t a n – the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots was another inspiration behind the show – moulded black leather and denim, and sequinned embellishments. One of the most iconic looks was a short dress of red lace with a full-leng th tr a in which entirely covered the model’s face. It was later worn by Lady Ga g a to the M T V Video Music Awards in 2009, the singer customizing the outfit with a c rownlike hat. In reference to Joan of Arc’s habit of we a ring men’s clothes, McQueen’s outfits were sometimes androg ynous – or he completely reversed gender roles, dressing male models in corsets and dresses. The a rt direction of the show wa s t y p i c a l l y dr ama ti c . Models were hauntingly pale, with blonde wigs or semi-shaven heads, and their eyes appeared bloodied by the red contact lenses they wore. But the most sensational pa rt c ame at the show’s finale, described evocatively by Kate Bethune from the Victoria and Albert Museum: “a satanic ring of flames encircled a lone ma sked model in a red ensemble, which echoed flayed flesh; bugle bead s k irt suggestive of dripping blood”. NO. 13 (S/S 1999) McQueen’s thirteenth collection, labelled simply with the number which presumably ti ckled McQueen, who laughed in the face of superstition, wa s a tribute to the A r t s and Cr a fts
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 75 R I G H T A red-eyed, b a ttl e -re a d y mod e l poses on the c a twa l k for McQueen’s A / W 1998 show J o a n . She is dre ss ed in a softly pleated blac k velvet t unic and leather trous e rs with metallic “armour”. Her h i g hcollared headpiece and body a r m o u r finish in long pointed c l aws.
OceanofPDF.com 76 BACK I N L O N D O N L E F T Bodily p e rf e c ti o n , dis a bi l it y and its role in fash ion was an issue on wh ich McQueen’s t h irt e e n t h coll e c tion homed in. To this end, the double amputee mod e l Aime e Mullins a p p e a r e d wearing a mould ed leather corset and silk lace s k irt with beautifully c a r v e d wood en p ro st h e ti c s by Bob Wa tts and Paul F e r g u s o n .
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 7 7 movement and drew on sever a l of the designer’s favourite themes. Firstly, the rejection of bodily perfection, which he had e x amined two ye a rs earlier in his macabre Bellmer La Poupée collection, was embodied by the double amputee model Aimee Mullins. McQueen had commissioned be autifull y c a r v e d wooden prosthetics for her to wear, which were so convincing that sever a l st y l ists a ssumed they were boots and asked to borrow them. Secondly, he revealed a fascination with technology – not a lways the most obvious of McQueen’s inspirations, given his frequent use of Edwa rd i a n and Victorian imagery. But the man-versus-machine rhetoric wa s c ert a i n l y one that f as c ina ted the designer and was borne out in the show’s finale. It wa s one of the most dr ama ti c scenes ever to appear on the c a t w a l k . Shalom Harlow, who 10 minutes earlier had been wa l k i n g the runway in a t y p i c a l McQueen outfit of ultra-low bumsters and a cutaway frock coat, appeared we a ring a v ir g i n a l B E LOW For the thrilling finale of McQueen’s S/S 1999 show, two car-painting robots sprayed mod e l Shalom Harlow’s virginal white dress with graffiti-like p a tt e r n s as she flung her a rms wh ile t urning on a rotating p l a tfo r m .
OceanofPDF.com 78 BACK I N L O N D O N white dress – a play, perhaps, on the wedding dress that tr aditiona lly appears at the end of couture shows. Thus f a r the show had been relatively serene, models gliding along in exquisite t a iloring and romantic lace dresses, lulling the audience into a f a lse sense of security. But a l l that chang ed when the wooden turntable on which Harlow stood st a rted to rotate and two robots, designed for spray painting c a rs, st a rted to pelt her with bursts of black and neon yellow paint. The model twiste d and turned in a danc e-like fashion, appropriate given that she was a former ba llerina , and the white dress, along with her face and hair, be c ame saturated with graffiti-like patterns. Reminis c ing to Vogue ma g a zine, Sam Gainsbury, who produced the show with her pa rtner An n a Wh iti n g , re c a lled: “Lee wrote precise instruc tions to the f ac tor y about how he wanted the ma chines to move, joint by joint, like spitting cobras. And it worked, exactly.” The show wa s applauded as his greatest yet, a le g enda r y piece of performance a rt that would go down in the a n n a ls of fashion history. As S a r a h Mower reflected for Vogue in 2018: “Nature versus the machine, fear, and sensation were lifelong themes of McQueen’s … he established a fearless experimental way of creating happenings that took fashion beyond mere displays of clothing and into the realms of the unforgettable, emotional experience.” T H E OV ER LOOK A N D T H E EYE (A/ W 1999 A N D S/S 2000) McQueen’s show The Overlook was inspired by Stanley’s Kubrick’s 1980 horror film The Shining . A ma g i c a l winter performance, made eerier by the sound of howling wolves, was st aged inside a Perspex box that evoked a Victorian snow globe, O P P O S I T E Mc Q u e e n created an eerie winter sn ow scene, ba sed on Stanley Kubrick’s horror film The S h i n i n g , for A / W 1999. Th is c r y s t a l - e n c r u st e d corset is mad e to re s embl e st a l agmit e s and is teamed with bumster tro u s e rs.
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OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 81 O P P O S I T E One of Shaun Leane’s metallic b o d y s u its from McQueen’s S/S 2 0 0 0 col l e c tion. Mad e of a s e ri e s of silver dis c s that entirely cover the mod el’s head, the g a rment was a re ference to both the a r m o u r of the Cr u s a d e rs and the face coverings of Middle E a st e rn wo m e n . complete with circling ice skaters. The outfits included cold- weather chunky k n itwe a r and she a rling, tailored leather and voluminous s k irts, as well as a stunning Shaun Le ane-designed coiled met a l corset. The Eye, shown in New York, used dyed, jet-black water as a the a tri c a l show medium. The influence behind the collection c ame from the Middle Ea st, with Gisele Bündchen in a fringed, embroidered head covering. The intention wa s to show female empowerment as McQueen yet a g a i n rejected cultures of suppression and c a l le d forth his “warrior” women. ESHU (A/ W 2000) This collection wa s named for the Yoruba tribe’s deity Eshu, a pr ankster god who ser ves as a messenger between humans and the spirit world. There were plenty of Nigerian s a rtori a l influences, including ma s k s, high coll a rs of ringed neck jeweller y and a spiked mouthpiece, but it wa s the voluminous silhouette of the Yoruba tribe that caught McQueen’s imagination. McQueen blended Victorian mutton-leg sleeves with modern t a iloring , bumster trousers and slim, elegant dresses and included some standout pieces such as an oversized black coat made from woven synthetic ha irpie c es. The singer Björk later wore a dr ama ti c , deconstructed acid-wash denim hoop dress from the collection. VOSS (S/S 2001) McQueen’s S/S 2001 show Voss wa s one of his most celebrated the a tri c a l achievements. The centrepiece was an enormous g l a ss box, reflecting the uncomfortably self-aware fashion audience back on themselves as they waited over an hour for the later u n n i n g show to begin. Once illumina ted the box wa s revealed to be a representation
OceanofPDF.com R I G H T The centrepiece of McQueen’s iconic S/S 2001 show Voss was a giant glass box intend ed to re s embl e the padd ed cell of a psych i a tri c hos p it a l . The m o d e ls, with their heads bandaged – Kate Moss is pi c t ured here – walked unsteadily around, c lawing at the wa l ls. of the padded c ells of a psychiatric hospital. The models within were unable to see the diml y lit audience – who consequently took on the role of voyeur – as they acted out the pa rt of a s y lum patients, re a ching desperately for their freedom, p a lms snatching at the g l a ss wa l ls. As model Erin O’Connor re c a lled to Vogue in 2014, McQueen issued the following instructions: “So, you’re in a lunatic a sylum. I need you to go mental, have a nervous breakdown, die, and then come back to life. And if you can, do that in three minutes and just follow the crescendo of the music.”
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 83 A B O V E For the finale of Voss, the glass box sha tt e red to reveal the naked, volupt uous figure of fetish writer Mi chelle Olley, in a rec reation of Joel-Peter Witkin’s 1983 photograph S a n it a ri um . Her face is covered in a h o r n e d mask a tt a c h e d to a breath ing t ube and she is s u rro u n d e d by flying moths. The allusion to the dehumaniza tion of psychiatric patients was enhanc ed by the fact that the models’ ha ir wa s covered and their heads were tightly bound by banda g es, as if recovering from surgery. The title Voss c ame from the name of the Norwegi an town famous for its birds and wildlife, and McQueen took much inspiration for the collection from the na t u r a l world. The most exquisite and delicate dresses were c r a fted from r a zor clam, mussel and oyster shells that McQueen had collected, and the designer’s iconic birds were represented in feather-covered s k irts and a headdress adorned with stuffed hawks, hovering Hitchcock-like above the model’s head as if to pounce. Nevertheless, accents of bloodlike vermilion left onlookers in no doubt as to the medi c a l setting. McQueen had long e x amined the concept of bodily
OceanofPDF.com 84 BACK I N L O N D O N O P P O S I T E Despite its dist urbing premise, the Voss coll e c tion feat ured some of McQueen’s most intricate work inspired by the nat ural world. Th is blac k jacket, heavily embroid e red with c h i n o is e ri e - st y l e birds and flowers, is to pped by an e x t r a o r d i n a r y r e c t a n g u l a r headpiece covered in woven, h a n g i n g , plant-like fronds. perfection and wa s not immune to his own inse curities about his size and shape. The finale of the show posed plenty of unanswered questions about the nature of beauty. As the d r ama built to a crescendo, and the he a rtbe a t soundtrack ominously flatlined, the g l a ss box shattered to re ve a l the voluptuous, naked figure of fetish writer Michelle Olley, her face ma sked and attached to a breathing tube, in a recreation of Joel-Peter Witkin’s morbidly obese figure from his 1983 photograph Sanitarium . The final, str angely be autiful, touch was hundreds of moths fluttering about her head. W H AT A MERRY-GO-ROUND (A/ W 2001) This collection for A / W 2001 wa s McQueen’s l a st to be held at the Ga tliff Road warehouse. The set wa s created around a carousel, but this wa s no light-filled f u n f a ir – rather, a macabre nightma re that cited as references both the 1922 German expressionist vampire film Nosferatu and the Child Catcher figure from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). The c a rousel horses were covered in latex, and models and danc ers we a ring patent leather and milit a r y -st y le jackets twiste d around the poles, bringing to mind d a r k l y se x u a l Berlin c aba ret a rtists. The models were d is g u ise d by chalk-white Pierrot-style make-up, but the ghoulishness wa s p a rtl y offset by the clothes themselves, which were reminiscent of the roaring 1920s and 1930s, including flapper-style beaded dresses and bias-cut sil k s. And, for the first time, McQueen’s signature motif of the white s kull and crossbones appeared on a black knitted dress. The French Revolution theme – which be g an with invitations gr a c ed by the colours of the Tricolore – echoed through k h a k i shirts with matching ties, severe greatcoats and gold braid. It culmina ted in an homage to Eugène
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 85
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OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 87 Delacroix’s 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People , the model we a ring a bias-cut silver dress, one breast exposed. With his acrimonious relationship to his Paris employers coming to an end, the personal mess age McQueen wa s sending was clear – he had freed himself from Givenchy and LVMH. T H E DANCE OF T H E T W I ST E D BULL (S/S 2002) McQueen’s first show since signing a de a l with the Gucci Group, who bought a 51% st a k e in his own company, and a lso his first eponymous label show to be presented in Paris, wa s a Latin-inspired fiesta. Deliberately choosing to pare back his trademark the a tri c s for a new city, McQueen’s clothes were still re a ssuring l y flamboyant. It wa s a solid collection for a designer whose label had recently undergone big chang es. S U PERC AL I FR AG I L I ST I C E X P I AL I D O C I O US (A/ W 2002) Named for the cheerful nonsense word from Mary Poppins (1964) but shown in the ghoulish Paris prison that held Marie Antoinette before her behe ading, McQueen’s A / W 2002 show was inspired by gothic film director Tim Burton. Burton a lso drew illustrations for the invitation which depicted, as described in the Gua rd i an, “nightmarish storybook heroines, Frankenstein s c a rs and r a g g ed (but be autifull y tailored) dresses”. Burton’s dr awing s set the tone for the show, with its Brothers Grimm f a ir y t a le overtones, complete with a Little Red (or violet, in this case) Ri d i n g Hood wa l k i n g down the c a t w a l k accompanied by wolves. The collection emphasized a Marie Antoinette tailored hourgl a ss silhouette, complete with corsets (albeit bound with leather straps) and f u l l s k irts. There wa s a slightly risqué schoolgirlish element in the form of bla zers and neat, uniformO P P O S I T E McQueen’s A / W 2002 show was a gothic f a n t a s y inspired by Tim Burton’s fil ms. It a ls o inc lud ed a naug ht y s c h o o l g irl a e st h e ti c , as in this outfit of stri p e d s h o r ts and match ing tie, a knitt ed sweater vest, kne e -h i g h silk stoc k ings and a Be rl i n - c a b a r e t-st y l e j aunt y hat. The make-up is t y p i c a l l y B u rt o n - e s q u e .
OceanofPDF.com 88 BACK I N L O N D O N like pleated s k irts, but the fina l outfit wa s the showstopper. Fashion met dark f ant a s y in the form of black bumster trousers and a billowing parachute silk cloak, topped off by a highwayman’s ma sk and toreador hat designed by Philip Treacy. I R E R E A N D S C A N N E R S (S/S 2003 A N D A / W 2003) McQueen’s next two collections, which traversed the globe from the watery tropical isl ands of the Ma ldives and Guyana to the wasted frozen tundr a of the most northern reaches of Europe, were commercially s a v v y but lacked the t y p i c a l trademark the a tri c s that fashion watchers had come to expe c t from the designer. R I G H T The show a ls o inc lud ed ov e rt o n e s of Grimm’s f a i r y t a l e s. McQueen’s take on L ittle Red – or violet, in this case – Riding Hood inc lud es an oversized c ape with giant hood and match ing laced b o o ts. She is a c compani ed down the c a twa l k by two h u s k i e s.
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 89 Irere be g an with drowning ma ids and e v il pirates dressed in brown leather corsets and Eliz abethan-inspired knickerbockers, complete with doublets and r uffs. There was a Spanish conquistador feel to a series of black leather cutaway outfits, but then an explosion of tropical colour hit the c a t w a l k . Neon yellow and green dresses in floating chiffon were teamed with matching ruffled capes. Tribal he addresses and a dr ama ti c full-leng th gown in tiered rainbow layers were – uncha r a c teristi c a l l y for a designer who u s u a l l y danc ed to his own tune – in keeping with the trends of the season, and a l l the more wearable for it. In contrast, McQueen’s next show, Sc anners, featured a bleak and snow-covered l ands c ape. As he said at the time: “I wanted it to be like a nomadic journey across the tundra. A big, desolate space, so that nothing would distract from the work.” The collection wa s reminiscent of McQueen’s exquisite couture c r a ftsma n s h i p for Givenchy, with struc tured suits and hourglass-shaped A-line dresses fe a turing e x tr aordina ril y intricate embellishments. Muted k h a k i f u rs and leather were appropriate for the backdrop, but there wa s a lso a contra sting accent of bold red in the form of Oriental brocaded kimonos. D E L I V E R A N C E (S/S 2004) McQueen’s fashion shows were exhaustively researched and ever y angle c a ref u l l y considered to achieve the perfect experience. Deliverance was based on the 1969 Sydney Pollack film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? , a story of Depression-era contestants who have to literally danc e for their lives. The show was st aged at the Sa lle Wagram, a Parisian danc e h a l l built in 1865, and the frenetic pace evoked the exhaustion felt in Pollack’s film.
OceanofPDF.com 9 0 BACK I N L O N D O N Choreographed by Michael Clark, the show featured models whirled in the a rms of muscled sailors, we a ring a spa rk ling e x tr a v a g a n z a of glittering dresses with huge feathered s k irts adorned in Swarovski c r y st a ls. Als o on offer were bias-cut 1930s-style silver lamé gowns and corseted pink tulle tutus. Dancers in ba llet sweats raced around the st age and, to f u rt h er emphasize the theme of frenzy followed by exhaustion, the opening dress be c ame the closing piece, but this time, as described in the review from AnOther ma g a zine, “the piece wa s dishevelled and t a rnished, worn by a danc er who collapsed at the centre of the st age and wa s ultimately c a rried off by Clark and McQueen”. Ag a i n , McQueen seemed to be re v e a ling his mixed feelings about the world of fashion – that the glitz and gl amour c ame at a cost. PANTHEON AD LUCEM (A/ W 2004) Even a designer of McQueen’s calibre couldn’t hit the mark ever y time and, amid the gossip about whether he would t a k e over the creative directorship at Yves Saint Laurent (he turned it down), he presented his Pantheon Ad Lucem collection. Me aning “towards the light”, the show wa s intended to strip back McQueen’s aesthetic to the essenti a ls, focusing on design rather t h a n the a tri c s. The pale-faced models had an other-worldly, androg ynous feel to them as they emerged from what appeared to be a spaceship, but there were no fl a shing lights or st age trickery. Much of the collection was comprised of pale pink and nude jersey and there was mi n ima l adornment. If McQueen intended to simply lay bare his signature styles, including t a iloring and an hourgl a ss silhouette, he succeeded, but perhaps at the cost of an impressive show. O P P O S I T E McQueen’s show De l i v e r a n c e was inspired by the 1969 Sydney Pollack De p r e ssi o n - e r a film They Shoot Ho r s e s, Don’t They? , in wh ich c o n t e st a n ts have to dance for their lives. It was a freneti c show, c h o r e o g r a p h e d by Mi cha e l Cl a r k , and full of tailored satin and Swa rov s k ic r y s t a l- e m b e l l is h e d o u tfits.
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OceanofPDF.com 92 BACK I N L O N D O N IT’ S ONLY A GAME (S/S 2005) Following on from the somewhat disappointing A / W 2004 collection, McQueen returned to form with one of his most iconic shows. As the models emerged, they took their places on what was soon revealed to be a giant chessboard, and the game be g an. In a show choreographed by Les Child, the chess pieces embodied a l l of McQueen’s greatest achievements. As the designer himself admitted in Vogue : “It wa s a lot of McQueen, a l l in one big collection.”
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 93 Cinematic inspiration c ame this time from the 1975 film Picnic at Hanging Rock , based on the Au str a l i a n novel set in 1900 about a group of schoolgirls who disappear. McQueen embodied the girlish Edwa rd i a n theme in the shape of fitted bl a zers, flared short s k irts and innocent white lace blouses. He a lso went back to the eighteenth century, f u rt h er romanticizing the collection, in a series of empire-line floral chiffon dresses and tightly fitted bodi c es. The designer’s s a rtori a l hits kept on coming, and the chess game – played out to the end – wa s a me chanism to remind the B E LOW Mo d e ls lined up in rows for McQueen’s show It’s Only a Game, for wh ich they took on the form of human che ss pieces and p roc e ed ed to play out a che ss game instead of pre s enting a tr aditiona l show.
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OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 95 audience of his genius. As S a r a h Mower put it, “all McQueen’s past signa tures and silhouettes were in place: the Savile Row-sharp t a i l coats; richly embroidered Japanese kimonos; stre amlined sci-fi bodysuits; rigid molded corsets; and stiff, flounced godet skirts”. T H E M A N WHO K N E W TOO MUCH A N D N E P T U N E A / W 2005 A N D S/S 2006) The st y ling for McQueen’s second Hitchcock-inspired show The Man Who Knew Too Much – his first, The Birds (S/S 1995), wa s one of his most important early collections – wa s pure 1960s Hollywood glamour. But rather t h a n channel ling the innocent Doris Day, the st a r of Hitchcock’s film, McQueen instead sent models down the c a t w a l k with Tippi Hedren’s bouffant ha irst y le and Ma ril yn Monroe’s seductive mien. The collection be g an with the period’s iconic nip-waisted tweed suits, pencil s k irts and elegant fi gure-s k imming dresses, showcasing McQueen’s t a iloring and couture s k i l ls to ma x imum advantage. For loyal clients there were trench coats for d a ywe a r and b a l l gowns for p a r t y i n g , but there wa s an underlying rock ’n’ roll irreverence – and a whole series devoted to leopard print lifted the collection out of the safe zone. And just to cover a l l ba ses, McQueen presented a second section, f u l l of Navajo jackets and leather and suede fringing. With McQueen buckling under the pressure of needing to make s a les rather t h a n just he adlines, S a r a h Mower criticized the designer for presenting what looked like “a merchandise runthrough of dubious taste” in her Vogue show review. McQueen’s underwhelming performanc es continued into his next show for S/S 2006, titled Neptune. The distinc tl y average collection included tailored black suits that lacked McQueen’s u s u a l e x a g g er a ted silhouette, an uninspiring Greek goddessO P P O S I T E Th is outfit emb o d i e s all the brilli ance of Mc Q u e e n . The pink dre ss, emb o ss e d with a d elicate floral p a tt e r n with bold er ch in ois e ri e on the bodice and sleeves, has an e i g ht e enthc e n t u r y feel, albeit with a p e rf e c tl y pleated p u ff b a l l s k i rt. The mod el’s should e rs are fr a m e d by a s culpt ur a l , wi d e - o p e n collar wh ich b a l a n c e s the silhouette, and the c andy stri p e s add a p l a y f u l edge. The final touch is Ph ilip Treacy’s hat, wh ich takes the form of an intricate Ch ine s e g a rd en.
OceanofPDF.com 9 6 BACK I N L O N D O N L E F T The m e s m e rizi n g finale of Widows of Cullod en feat ured a smoke -shroud ed hologram image of Kate Moss. Dre ame d up by Mc Q u e e n and created by v id eo-ma ke r Baillie Walsh, Moss wore a r u ffl e d white dress that billowed around her as she twist ed and be c koned to the audience. The a tmos phe re was heig htened by John Williams’s s o u n d tr a c k from the film S c h i n d l e r’s L ist . O P P O S I T E Th is outfit from Widows of Cullod en had a vintage, otherworldly feel. The long , r u ffl e d lace dress with a tiered s k irt and long train is covered in appl iqué lace flowers and leaves. The finish ing touch: a s culpt ura l s kull-and-antler he addre ss swa t h e d in a match ing veil.
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OceanofPDF.com 98 BACK I N L O N D O N inspired selection and no cha r a c teristi c showstoppers. Aside from the bold “ WE LOVE YOU KATE” T-shirt McQueen himself wore – in support of his friend’s dr ug cha rge accusation – it was a lmost as if his spirit had been broken. WIDOWS OF CULLODEN (A/ W 2006) More t h a n 10 ye a rs a fter his Hi ghl and Rape collection confirmed McQueen as one of the most important fashion designers of his generation, the Ea st End designer returned to his preoccupation with his Scottish roots and the oppression of Scotl and. This time his inspiration c ame from the 1745 Battle of Culloden and the forgotten widows of the men who died there. More importantly, with this show McQueen returned to his the a tri c a l best, silencing the critics who, for the previous two seasons, had questioned his future. The show wa s dedicated to Is abell a Blow, a poignant mention given the ups and downs of the pair’s relationship in more recent ye a rs, and offered a less roughand-ready version of many of his Hi ghl and Ra p e creations. His c l an t a r t a n appeared in many g u ises, including s k irts of various lengths, a f u l l trouser suit and a series of dresses, tight at the wa ist, their s k irts puffed out with a Victorian-style crinoline. Heavy knits, oversized f u rs and feathered b a l l gowns a l l evoked a dr aught y Scottish c a stle, but there wa s plenty of gothic romance too. There wa s even a pre-Raphaelite Lady Macbeth reference. In true McQueen style, the outfits were exquisitely det a iled and perfe c tly executed. Finishing touches included a stunning headdress by Philip Treacy, which Shaun Le ane described in the book Savage Beauty (2011), noting that the headdress “comprised a bird’s nest filled with seven soft blue, spe ckled e g g s encrusted with Swarovski c r y st a ls and fl anked by ma ll a rd’s wings”. But the finale took the show to a new level as the empty g l a ss py r amid on the st age filled with smoke that slowly
OceanofPDF.com BACK I N L O N D O N 99 twiste d and turned to re ve a l a hologram image of Kate Moss, her ha ir stre aming and her white dress billowing around her as she beckoned towards the audience before dissolving away. The other-worldly creation, dre amed up and a rt directed by McQueen and re a l ize d by video-maker Ba il lie Walsh, wa s mesmerizing, and made even more e x tr a o rd i n a r y by the profusion of c amer a flashes as photographers sought to capture the moment. L E F T A sketch by Al e x a n d e r Mc Q u e e n of the lace dress outfit from Widows of C u l l o d e n .