As darkness enshrouded the presentation room at the Garde Républicaine in Paris, two beacons of light homed in on British artists Marc Quinn’s painted bronzed sculptures. His floral figures in pure white captured an Orchid and an Anthurium plant at the top and bottom of the dark wooden show space.
This collection from the house of McQueen is a complete juxtaposition from the previous seasons textural treat. This season focusing on a cleaner and limited colour scheme of pastel pink, metallic silver, monochrome and red. The silhouette for spring summer 2015 is strong and powerful, with shoulders demanding your attention, belted waists creating a sultry shape and sheer fabrics exposing selected areas of the body leaving little to the imagination.
The McQueen woman is always a powerful and independent one, as the Alexander once said, “I want people to be afraid of the women I dress”. This season being no exception as the collection draws inspiration from an Asian persuasion and fetishistic foray. As a leather harness provided a stout structure to the upper garments, the lower was more seductively submissive, floating and swaying as the models pummelled the runway in their trousers suits and structured dresses.
Leather, silk and chiffon created this Oriental offering with traditional lines seen in most McQueen shows. The linear construction were carried through fitted feminine attire with leather harness tops and belted waists, fitted to heavy fabric ankle grazing skirts, complete with laser cut applique cut to resemble a Japanese blossom.
The models wore black lacquered plastic masks hand crafted by make-up artist Pat MaGrath, covering parts of the face enhancing to the already fetish element in the collection.
The culmination of the show showed a somewhat softer but still strong presence for the audience. The fetish harness bodice was continued on to the finale garments, but delicate tiered laser cut petals edged in black gave an animated air to the couture gowns. The final two dresses were crafted in monochrome beads replicating a graphic formation, creating a shear appearance seen throughout the show.
The botanical beauties created by Sarah Burton and her team has continued the strong female legacy started by Lee back in the early 90s. It is a collection that is passionate, provocative and characterises a strong female who knows who she is and what she wants from her man and life. She is a tour de force, someone not to be reckoned with, but there is still this element of frailty to her. This is the McQueen woman a fragile but domineering beauty.
