Alexander mcqueen runway looks6/22/2023 ![]() ![]() The subsequent section of the show represented the models in much darker and violent gowns (Fig. ![]() Their appearance on the catwalk after the video was supposed to convey the idea of survival and rebirth. ![]() But this was not a poignant film of a lost innocent, for Irere, meaning ‘transformation’ in one of the indigenous Amazonian languages, was to tell the story of the girl’s metamorphosis from shipwreck survivor to Amazonian princess, a tale of redemption and survival.” (Bethune) “ The show opened with an underwater film directed by John Maybury that showed a girl in a torn chiffon dress plunge into the sea and appear to drown. 4) refer back to a video McQueen screened prior to the runway show that displayed a model wearing the torn gown seeming to drown in water. 3).īoth the Oyster Dress and the tattered chiffon gown that followed it (Fig. 2) which also saw models wearing Portuguese, pirate-inspired garments (Fig. The Oyster dress was a part of the first segment (Fig. The runway show where the dress was showcased in 2003 was meant to portray a story, as typical of McQueen’s work, and was presented in three segments. The movie is set in 18th-century South America and follows a missionary trying to protect a Native tribe from the impeding doom of Portuguese forces. The Victoria & Albert Museum explains that he drew inspiration from the Roland Joffé film The Mission (1986). The Oyster dress seems to have been inspired by a little more than just McQueen’s life. “My collections have always been autobiographical, a lot to do with my own sexuality and coming to terms with the person I am–it was like exorcising my ghosts in the collections.” (Bolton 16) Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011) quotes McQueen describing his inspirations: Alexander McQueen spoke openly about the many unique and unusual influences for his work both within his own life and elsewhere. Some themes for his other shows include the invasion of Scotland by England (entitled Highland Rape) for his 1995 fall/winter collection or the hybridization of human and amphibian forms titled Plato’s Atlantis (2010 spring/summer). He was known for creating pieces that garnered criticism and applause all at once and for his ability to think outside of the box when designing pieces. Much like his previous collections and those that followed, Irere represents McQueen’s avant-garde aesthetic. The Oyster dress is a McQueen piece from his spring/summer 2003 collection coined Irere. He served as Givenchy’s chief designer from 1996-2001 and most importantly is known for his own namesake label launched in 1992. But unlike Aphrodite, who was born in the foam of the sea and borne to shore on a scallop, McQueen’s beauty is a bruised pearl encased in a deconstructing oyster, the tumbled survivor of the violent action of waves.”Īlexander McQueen was a designer from London who emerged during the early 90s, after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 1992. “ The hem of the skirt, like the wavy lip of a giant mollusk, further emphasizes the seashell quality of the gown. The museum evocatively describes the classical associations of the dress: ![]() The visually striking Oyster dress was included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Savage Beauty” exhibition in 2011. The piece overall resembles a shipwreck and presents an emotion that could be described as serene destruction. “ Fragile femininity was conveyed in McQueen’s ‘Oyster’ gown, constructed from a bodice of boned tulle and shredded chiffon, its skirt consisting of hundreds of circles of chiffon arranged on the bias to replicate the folds on an oyster shell.” (Bethune)Ī corset that ends in a ‘U’ shape was made for the bodice, bringing forth a sense of classic elegance and structure to the otherwise flowy dress. As the Victoria & Albert Museum describes: McQueen layered silk chiffon from the waist down the garment, creating the impression that the dress was formed like a mollusk: “The gown’s complex construction of sand-colored chiffon and organza in graduated layers result in a texture similar to the mille feuille ridging on a shell’s surface” (Johnson 45). 1) was part of the “Irere” collection of spring/summer 2003 and is made of silk in a beige tone. The Oyster dress from his 2003 collection (Fig. His many noteworthy pieces like the Oyster dress created buzz and opened the doors to opportunities for other designers in the fashion industry. Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) was an artist whose legacy will live on through his many collections that are still admired today. ![]()
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