With her Fall 2011 collection for Alexander McQueen, McQueen creative director Sarah Burton did little to dispel the rumor that she will be designing the dress that Kate Middleton will wear when she weds Prince William next month. Rumor has it that Burton was recommended to the future princess by none other than Vogue UK’s editor-in-chief, and going off of the latest McQueen collection, the choice couldn’t be more fitting.
Titled “The Ice Queen and her court”, Burton presented a couture collection, done mostly in black and white for a running play between “hard” and “soft”. Stunning details were boutiful and included a skirt and top made from broken bone plates fired together, fur lined hems, pleats formed with metal zippers that partially zip open, and a gown woven from strips of silk.
Harnesses and leather made for bondage-like, tough-luxe pieces that served to counterbalance the more feminine looks, notably the white gowns that closed out the show. While it’s nearly impossible to single out just one look from the immaculately detailed collection, the dramatic shape Burton was able to achieve with her white gown with aggressively oversized pleats, was undeniably stunning, even if some might fault her for the more feminine direction it took the collection.
Most impressively, perhaps, despite the drama of the show, many of the looks – Daphne Guinness-worthy heels aside — are easy to imagine women, albeit confident and fashion-forward ones, dying to wear next season.
Photos: Vincenzo Grillo, IMAXtree.
