Last season, Alexander McQueen presented a collection of regiment
members of the Great War boasting "honour", "valour", and
"truth" on the chests of the models. This season moved to the sea and
the Navy. This was evident in the nautical motifs such as star compasses and
anchors in navy blue printed on off-white suits. The first two looks in fact,
were sharply tailored and stark white with navy embroidery printed on the chest
of jackets and down the legs of trousers like tattoos. The second look
specifically had faux epaulettes and badges on a double-breasted jacket. The
overall color palette of the collection was a mixture of navies, cobalt blues,
blacks, and whites, with a few total denim blue looks that were distressed at
points. The last three looks were covered in a collage type print made of
18th century maps and their coinciding sea monsters. There were
kaleidoscopic prints covering entire suits like patchwork pieces of a striped
flag. Another, rather curious, print was of what looked like sumo wrestling
positions or some other type of fighting. The nautical theme was exampled in
one jacket in particular that had large metal eyelets like portholes along a
long navy hull of a ship. During the presentation, I couldn't help but
notice that the strongest pieces in the collection were on top. The massive
double-breasted jackets and asymmetrical sweaters are always a focal point on
each look that displayed them. The overall cuts of the clothes, including
the trousers, were looser and more flowing then past seasons. Cropped white
trousers flowed freely and suit trousers were hemmed just above the ankle.
There was a mixture of shoes that morphed from polished derbies to high top
sneakers and hybrids in between. Overall, it was a strong collection with nautical inspiration
to push the Alexander McQueen menswear front further.
