I’ve worked in the fashion industry for nearly 15 years and I’ve had some amazing experiences, but this week I had a pinch-me moment – I attended the Alexander McQueen spring/summer 2022 catwalk show on the roof of a car park in East London and I got to see Naomi Campbell strut her stuff.
When you say words like car park it doesn’t actually make you think high-fashion glamour does it, but add to that a giant cloud-like structure designed by the architect Smiljan Radic, and incredible views across the capital, it really does make for an epic setting for a magnificent show collection entitled ‘London Skies’.
The whole production was a visual fashion storm. From the location perfectly placed, high in the clouds, the London landmarks all around, from the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf to The Shard and the Gherkin, to the eerie storm soundtrack by John Gosling before the show started, and the intimate circular catwalk with models appearing from a hidden staircase in the middle.
It was a feast for the senses before a look even graced the catwalk.
For spring/summer 2022, Alexander McQueen’s creative director Sarah Burton took inspiration from the “ever-changing, all-encompassing magnificence” sky, with all the artwork for the prints in the collection shot from the rooftop of the fashion house’s studio, which has views of the city from Saint Paul’s Cathedral to the London Eye.
This was a collection showcasing the optimism of coming through the storm of the pandemic with unpredictable skies into brighter, happier times, filled with expressive prints, looser silhouettes and incredible pops of colour, from sunshine yellow tulle dresses to vibrant pink tailored suits and gorgeous floaty dresses printed with photographs of sunrises, blue skies and clouds.
Burton explained in the show notes: “We watched the weather and captured the formation and colouration of clouds from daybreak to nightfall and documented changing patterns, from clear blue skies to more turbulent ones. That led me to storm chasing.
“I love the idea of the McQueen woman being a storm chaser, of the qualities of storm chasing uniting the passionately individual community of characters wearing the clothes. They inhabit the same universe and the clothes are inspired by and made for them. Storm chasing is not only about the beauty of the views but also a sense of mystery and excitement – about embracing the fact that we can’t ever be sure of what might happen next.
“To give up control and be directly in touch with the unpredictable is to be part of nature, to see and feel it at its most intense – to be at one with a world that is bigger and more powerful than we are.”
Burton embraced the contrasts that come from changeable weather with a collection that was both feminine and edgy, which is the perfect Alexander McQueen combination. From wind-blown inspired trench coats with voluminous parachute sleeves to crystal “raindrop” embroidered cropped sweatshirts teamed with an exploded skeleton skirt and cropped aviator leather jackets.
There were so many highlights, but for me, the delicate cloud-like tulle dresses were my favourite, as were the dark and moody sky printed looks.
Alexander McQueen SS22 ‘London Skies’
