DURING a time where many felt disheartened, out-of-touch and uninspired, Alexander McQueen conceived and created the pre-spring-summer 2021 collection from home.
Rewinding to the early days of the British fashion house and using the make-do-and-mend spirit embedded in art school students, Creative Director Sarah Burton and her team came together (virtually) to overcome this obstacle. From their famous sharp, masculine tailoring to couture-like gowns, kitchen tables became desks and the garden transformed into a studio of experimentation.
The collection itself celebrated twentieth-century silhouettes adorned by sweetheart necklines, soft shoulders and exaggerated skirts ultimately leaving many looks hyper-feminine. Shades of pink ranged from Albion to fuchsia rose, fading to red and then returning to the classic McQueen black, while hand-draped silks and bows finish the looks with a touch of romance and innocence.
Alexander McQueen gives Glass an exclusive look inside the making of the couture-like pieces in the pre-spring-summer 2021 collection.
Look 26: photographed by Chloe le Drezen
A stand-out piece of the collection was undoubtedly the dress in Look 26. The off-the-shoulder dress complete with a tiered skirt in washed organza dip-dyed pink and black was created from one of the team’s kitchens. The bodice of the dress was hand-knotted, pleated and then sewn onto the corset.
Photos taken by Alexander McQueen design team from home
Once the dress’ structure was finalised, it was taken apart into separate pieces to be dip-dyed in the garden. Though this may seem like a simple task, the dip-dyeing proved to be difficult as the dress was opened by the waist, and the bodice and skirt had to be dyed separately.
Additionally, the skirt had to be dipped upside down to ensure the pink hem from the initial dyeing was kept. Once dry, the dress was put back together.
Photograph by Olivia ArthurÂ
Dip Dyeing Experimentation from home
Look 27: photographed by Chloe le Drezen
Look 27 took a stereotypically masculine tuxedo and transformed it into the perfect statement suit for women. The double-layered tuxedo jacket was made from black wool-silk with matching cigarette trousers and finished with a wrapped peplum bow in Albion pink microfaille.
Photos taken by Alexander McQueen design team from home
Taking inspiration from the oversized bows from 1950s couture, Alexander McQueen reimagined this classic detailing on a jacket rather than a dress. To figure out proportions, one of the design team members worked in calico to find the perfect balance between elegance and extravagance.
Look 28: photographed by Chloe le Drezen
One of the most iconic pieces by Alexander McQueen is arguably the Oyster Dress from the 2003 spring-summer collection titled Irere. For the pre-SS21, the team created an oyster ruffle dress with a high neck and scalloped back with the pink and black dip-dyeing seen in pieces mentioned above.
Photos taken by Alexander McQueen design team from home
A complex task, to say the least, the original toile was cut at home by one of the womenswear design team who finished the original piece in lace – no small feat. Not originally deciding to create an oyster dress, the evolution of the piece led to oyster ruffles that were layered with organza.
Notably, most of the collection was created using excess stock fabric; this entire dress was made from recycled materials.
Photos taken by Alexander McQueen design team
Trial-and-error played a significant part in the creation of this piece as the density of the ruffles needed to be reconsidered in order to achieve the degradé effect the team wanted to achieve. Each panel of ruffles wasn’t stitched in a straight line which you would assume, but rather the seamstress followed the organic waved lines until the pattern indicated a change in circle size.
In the same way as Look 26, once the dress was completed it was taken apart, dyed and then put back together again.
The show-stopping asymmetric floor-length dress with an exploded skirt made from washed calico silk organza with hand-embroidered sketches over a skeletal corset out of silk tulle made up Look 29. Taking imagery from the Alexander McQueen’s design team sketchbooks, the process behind the savoir-faire has been given a place to shine during the gloomy months we experienced.
Photos taken by Alexander McQueen design team from home
The photos are taken by the Italian Alexander McQueen seamstresses from the kitchen as the preliminary stages of creation. These photos were shot for feedback from Burton and her close team to ensure proportion and shape were as imagined. Finally, the dress was made from layered organza creating an almost transparent dress that celebrated the hard work of the people behind the brand.
Photo taken by Olivia ArthurÂ
The sketches were collected and collaged together onto a digital version of the dress to find the right placement for each drawing. Once the fabric choice was chosen, the imagery was printed onto the panels of organza and then divided up between the embroidery team who stitched the drawings on from home.
When given an insight into a collection that was made through some extremely unordinary times, it is hard not to be inspired by the Alexander McQueen team who prevailed and created a truly beautiful collection. After seeing the process, the British fashion house has truly solidified their position as leaders in craftsmanship.
by Imogen ClarkÂ