The overlap between the Oscars and Paris Fashion Week was magnified by Sarah Burton's collection for Alexander McQueen. With her moody, theatrically tinged presentations, matched by clothes worthy of an epic film period production, Burton could hold her own on the Dolby theatre stage with any top film costumer today. Though she frequently dabbles in futurism, this season Burton went back a couple of centuries to the cold, deserted English countryside. Her runway convincingly reproduced an early morning highland, replete with rocks and bumpy tufts of moss. At first we could barely make out the women who marched out in black astrakhan coats and capes trimmed in fox, their silhouettes barely perceptible against the early morning dark sky. And then, slowly, with everything illuminated, tiers of crisp white eyelet cotton were sharply defined on voluminous dresses. Burton worked a number of Victorian codes, from rich velvet devoré that flounced on skirts, to tightly-wound braiding that took on a punkish twist on the model's corn rowed heads. But she also threw in the savage side of living on the open plains, covering her models with enough long-haired, striped fur to evoke a pack of ferocious wolves. At this point the models wore black fox eyebrows and stomped through the grounds with their all-purpose flat boots, just before things took a romantic turn. Burton finished with a transparent lace gown finale that was every bit as poetic and heart tugging as the end of Wuthering Heights.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
A true pocket rocket, the unique V8-powered Aston Martin Super Cygnet is up for saleNicholas Mee & Co are offering the one and only Aston Martin Super Cygnet, a city car with an Aston Martin V8 spliced into its compact frame
-
Thunderstruck: Pro-Ject Audio Systems lend their turntable tech to AC/DC’s iconic aestheticPro-Ject Audio Systems’ new limited edition AC/DC Turntable is a magnificent slice of heavy metal fandom
-
The little-known story of Welsh modernism'Cabin Crew', a new book published this spring by The Modernist, brings the spotlight to Cardiff-based practice Hird & Brooks
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Sacai A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Alexander McQueen A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s
