Alexander McQueen menswear has officially risen to a new level. Everything about this collection was supreme to me. Everything. The ambience, the choice in models, the styling. The jewelry! All exceptional. There's always references to history with McQueen, no doubt, and this collection isn't an exception. Gorgeous amounts of tailoring and beautiful silhouettes built the framework. The talisman-like ornaments that pierced skin and lapels were a particularly fantastic display. I loved the antique and exquisite dangling earrings, massive rings, and thick and heavy body chains that were lain across the torsos of two models. The direct references to the punk aesthetic mixed with Victorian like colors and shapes created the best tension. The overall story, as told by Sarah Burton backstage after the show, was Charles Darwin's obsession with collecting and understanding specimens. If you look closely at the shirts peeking out of the large coats and blazers, you will see handwritten script mixed with the ongoing moth motif. Which brings us to the first major motif of this collection. Moths were laid out displayed across suit jackets and trousers, silk shirts, and coats. One must make the connection that moths are extremely important for the fashion industry, because they are the upmost creator of fine silks. You could see this fine material in oversized shirts and edges of flowing coats in this collection as well as tuxedo stripes along pants that separated at the hem line to create a new shape. I suppose the moth has to do with the idea of collecting, and that refined, elegant approach to science in history. Back in Darwin's day, you listened to classical music, walked over granite floors, and dressed to the nines with your talismans from foreign lands to show that you had stature. I believe that there is something mesmerizing about that idea. Along with the moth, there were blooms of dark flowers printed on that emanated dark and moody beauty that you will always get at a McQueen show. I have noticed that this goes with the McQueen brand's history with morbid florals of the Victoriana. I believe this collection pushed Alexander McQueen menswear to new heights, without being overtly cutting edge or stuffy. It was the perfect blend of contemporary and historical, which was what caught Isabella Blow's eye at Lee McQueen's graduate show almost 25 years ago and what created his career.
