May 1, 2025 |
The mirrored, vermilion door suspended mid-staircase at the McQueen AW25 show wasn’t just a set piece – it was a signal. A jagged portal to the past; a promise that the maison would retrace its own mythology in the accompanying collection. First came the skull scarf, twisting its way back down the runway for the first time since SS03. Then, another icon resurfaced: the Knuckle Clutch, circa 2009, resurrected and reimagined as its own evening capsule collection.
Originally introduced by Lee Alexander McQueen, the Knuckle Clutch has long held its place as a house signature. For spring/summer 2025, six incarnations step back into the spotlight; some faithful to the archive, others newly embellished. Crafted in black satin or supple leather, each silhouette is compact and deliberate: clean-lined, handheld and crowned with McQueen’s iconic four-ring handle in silver or gold – part handbag, part knuckleduster.
The Rose and Snake edition, first unveiled in the SS18 collection, embodies the brand’s ability to grasp at the tension between danger and beauty. Sporadically decorated tonal crystals wind across obsidian black leather and a metal serpent coils around a skeletal flower. Elsewhere, The Rose, from AW15, leans into more gothic romance – drenched in jet-black crystal embroidery and topped with burnished, mirror-polished metal blooms. And The Spider? Perhaps the most arresting of them all, it features faceted rings that frame a sculpted arachnid mid-crawl.
It’s time travel, McQueen-style – or in this case Sean McGirr-style; seductive, cinematic and perfectly timed with a wider shift at the house, like a return to its darker lineage. A time capsule cracked open, revealing six sculptural clutches – a fistful of defiance retooled to hold a little bit of lipstick and a whole lot of legacy. Available in limited quantities at select stores and online, you can purchase yours here.
Photography courtesy of McQueen.
