You can always count on an Alexander McQueen collection to be romantic. Amidst sharp tailoring – which the brand’s menswear has become known for – gentle knits, ethereal prints and feminine flourishes have offered the McQueen man a tender wardrobe to conquest the everyday.
It makes sense, then, that Sarah Burton and her team studied the poetry and paintings of William Blake for their SS22 offering. A stark contrast to the brand’s street-centric AW21 collection, this season sees Burton draw on the “concept of imagination as a pure form of escapism”, as noted in the press release.
Each look centres around lightness, air, and water. Burton worked with the Tate to bring Blake’s illustrations of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy to the collection. Different depictions of Blake’s Purgatory, Canto 29 plaster a series of pieces. First, a graffitied jacquard on a single-breasted coat, followed by a drop-shoulder shirt with ruffles and a three-piece woollen suit accented in brushes of blue, burgundy and gold. Coming to a head with a William Blake Dante embroidered bodice which falls into a gradient blue dress, made from shredded chiffon, tulle and organza. It symbolises all that’s great about McQueen. The ethereal hand of Burton and the rebellious spirit of Lee McQueen, together, in sweet harmony.
Photography by Paolo Roversi.