This is the end, beautiful friends. The Spring/Summer 2020 collections are about to draw to an end. After all, we are talking about clothes for a new decade. 2020 is near and PFW is reaching its end with really strong shows chasing one another.
Alexander McQueen S/S 2020
There has never been any discussion about the succession at Alexander McQueen after the founder’s sad and premature death. Sarah Burton was his trusted lieutenant and from her very first shows, she proved to have the talent. Even better and just like at the house of Dior or Chanel now, the simple fact that Burton is a woman designing for women added a new dimension to the brand. Industry experts agree that McQueen is the most underdeveloped brand in the Kering stable and with proper investment in retail and maybe the emergence of a hit bag, this house will take off. Burton is all about well-crafted clothes and her new collection was based on elaborate looks, which told their own story. According to the press notes, “The connection between the clothes is the time it took to make them.” Precise tailoring met strong dresses with exploded ruffles.
The location of Sarah Burton’s Spring/Summer2020 Alexander McQueen show
The tailoring?
Always at the core of any McQueen collection, Burton stretches her universe more and more. Highlights were her jackets with cutout waists or extended tail drapes.
The Burton’s input?
Paring down details, stripping away and focusing on the essentials is what has become Burton’s signature. Clean cut and line with lean suiting silhouette and articulated puff sleeve dresses.
Jackets with cut outs and elongated draped tails were highlights of the collection
Sarah Burton’s signature: clean cuts and puffy sleeves
The opposite of?
We are in a moment in fashion where the omnipotent designer is standard, see Hedi Slimane at Celine or Riccardo Tisci at Burberry. Burton not only hates the spotlight and prefers to focus on communities within her design teams, so there is an exchange of thought and feeling while making the garment. To underline the team factor, she shared the finale with her 50-plus strong design team.
The secret?
Ultimately, these clothes are soaring off the runway because they simply show the hours of manual labor that went into them even from afar. Burton is a master of draping, fabric sourcing and cutting. Every look has a life of its own and the way Burton mixes fabrics like lace with leather and plays with volumes is highly confident.
The collection showed Sarah Burton’s clever use of fabrics by draping and mixing leather and lace.
The show was accompanied by live music of the London Contemporary Orchestra.
London calling?
Even while she chooses to show in Paris, Burton is all about putting forth Britishness. From her front row with Naomi Campbell to bringing the London Contemporary Orchestra to play live violins, cello and bass, the heritage is clear.
