IN WHAT feels like a short indie film rather than a traditional campaign, Creative Director Seán McGirr pays homage to fashion and cinema, exploring the blurred reality between actor and character for the McQueen Autumn/Winter 2026 campaign.
McQueen AW26 Campaign
McQueen AW26 Campaign
Cutting between film noir scenes, Xiao Wen appears with slicked-back hair, imitating a 1920s Eton crop, accentuated by her poised stance beside the ostrich-stamped leather Locke handbag, adorned with an archival heart padlock.
McQueen AW26 Campaign
Supermodel and 2023 Model of the Year Paloma Elsesser is confronted with multiple reflections of herself, wearing an opaque floral lace dress and a corseted bodice that allows her silhouette to glow in the light.
Anxiously clutching the bag like a string of pearls. She holds the embellished McQueen Manta Clutch, which has been embellished with crystals and beads, into delicate floral motifs. Wrapped around its handle is a small Alexander McQueen signature skull scarf, which counters the delicacy and symbolism of life.
McQueen AW26 Campaign
In a slick industrial apartment, Karen Elson, a longtime friend and muse of Alexander McQueen, leans over Jacqui Hooper in a moment charged with sensual tension. Elson, dressed in a tailored slate capri and jacket riding set with heeled leather boots, locks eyes with Hooper, recalling lost love and past pleasure. Soft lilac is illuminated by shifting white light as Hooper’s bias cut dress drapes elegantly downwards from her hips as she leans, entranced in a soft gaze. A five buttoned jacket is reminiscent of the beau Brummell dandy.
A delicate kiss is placed on the cheek, hinting at forewarning, followed by a stream of tears before the scene cuts and fades away, reminding us of Alexander McQueen’s enduring love of performance and dedication to drama carried forward by McGirr.
by Ellis Dowle