It s telling that when Alexander McQueen conceded an interest in superheroes for his new collection, the first creature that sprung to his mind was a warlock. Let s face it—he s always found the dark side a much more inspiring proposition than its sweetness n light alternative, and for that we can all be heartily grateful, especially when it yields a collection as startling and individual as this. In purely technical terms, McQueen mastered a striking repertoire of effects, such as the silvery glaze on a gray flannel suit, the plastic coating on a Prince of Wales check, or the taffeta-and-felt bonding that turned scuba neoprene into the stuff of jackets and pea coats. Only McQueen could make a conceptual point of the interplay between the most luxurious natural fibers and the most Hazmat-toned synthetics (orange nylon was a particular standout).
But that is hardly why McQueen s work continues to enthrall, even as his creativity ebbs and flows. He s the most cinematic of designers, and with this collection, he offered up a vision that combined the broad-shouldered, immaculately-tailored elegance of haute Hollywood with a dystopian futurism that left his models looking like glassy-eyed replicants. It was extraordinary, if a bit deadening. Still, the bugle-beaded jackets that McQueen presented as a finale must surely stand as the new century s definitive statement on male glamour—until his own next show, at least.
