Simply Abu Dhabi XI

1 3 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I M cQueen – with his trademark skull and crossbones – has always had a dark side. Alexander was known forhisshocktactics,controversyandtheatricalslant. Not for nothing did the bold designer earn the title ‘L’enfant terrible’, with lavish and unconventional runway shows. Spring 2003sawtherecreationofashipwreck,2005ahumanchessgame, hologrammedmodels in 2006. Gasmasks, nudemodels, smoke and mirrors: you name it and McQueen has probably done it. The extravagant showmanship has always been as representative as the cutting edge fashion it presents. It is no surprise then, that the fashion house’s Autumn/Winter 2013 theatrical collectionwas introducedwith signature panache toanexclusive,hungryaudienceatParis’opulentOperaComique. Sincetakingthehelmthreeyearsago,chiefdesignerSarahBurton, formerly Alexander’s long-standing assistant, has shown capable mastery of the late designer’s style and legacy. Given that the collection was conceived while she was pregnant with her new twin babies, it’s ironic that the Virgin Queen is so overtly referencedasitsmuse.It’samarkerofherinfluenceinthefashion industry that she could choose through pregnancy to pare down the usual extravaganza. IfQueenElizabeth I were alive today, she would be apparelled inMcQueen. Burtonhas found inspiration in the billowing, flowing robes of the traditional high church – high priests, nuns, popes and angels alike. Very Elizabethan, very Alexander. Frilled sleeves, virginal white cotton, cinched waists, arabesque patterns, armoured belts, lace cuffs, heavily beaded corsetry, bejewelled fishnet tights, metal toe caps, monumental shoes and hooped underskirts. And allwith theunwavering commitment tohand- craftsmanship and surface ornamentation unrivalled in the fashion world. Attention to detail is obsessive: silk and metal thread embroideries, quiltedwhite chiffon, enamelled flowers, frayed organza and exaggerated hips. It’s breath-taking – the embodiment of McQueen’s dark essence yet filled with dramatic (and feminine) whimsy. Paired models introduced just ten highly styled looks veering between virginal and burlesque. Some appeared with heads encased in pearl meshes, feet dressed in silver platform heels and legs sheathed inwhite lace stockings.Otherswerewrapped inblack studded leather, counterbalancingmedieval puritywith edgy eroticism. As the collection continued, swathes of fabric swept onto the catwalk forming full skirts and veils rivuleted with pearls that flowed down the slender models’ backs. With their faces framed by starched black and white ruffs, you’d be forgiven for thinking the models might have walked straight out of an Old Master painting or indeed, in some instances, a convent. At its crescendo, the show gleamed with a gilded, shimmering queen, her skirts sweeping the floor, arms hiddenbeneathhuge shimmering sleeves. But it wasn’t the finale. That honour lay with a white organza lace jacquard dress embellished with needlepoint and pearls, a short hem at the front rippling down into a net train encrusted with miniscule pearls as if the embodiment of a waterfall. Crowned with duck and ostrich feathers and finished with pearl and feather sandals, the model looked purity personified. Youprobablywon’t see these looks on the high street, but that’s not the point. This is couture: the ready-to-wear McQueen collection is vastly different, some 400-500 pieces waiting for public release. This is an opportunity for a master craftsman – with proven colours in sharp tailoring, gossamer dresses and wedding gowns – to present the exquisitely finished fruits of her imagination to a hungry audience.Museumswouldhanker to display it; films would fall over themselves to use it.