Sarah Burton s Resort collection for Alexander McQueen channeled Rosie the Riveter by way of Laurel Canyon, but her new offering for the lower-priced McQ line felt much more connected to the street. It came through in the emphasis on elevated but still utilitarian basics. Jeans with a crackled-paint effect, sweatshirts decorated with metal swallows (a persistent symbol for the label), and bomber jackets in leather or silk were not unlike of-the-moment pieces you d see at other contemporary brands.
What set this offering apart—other than the very London-in-the-nineties quality of printed bondage pants with D-rings, which will have their own irresistible appeal for a certain kind of customer—was the suiting. Jackets had the strong, sharp look long associated with Lee McQueen: the pronounced shoulder, the narrow sleeve, the elaborate seaming in the back. Burton added her own soft touch via draped lapels edged with narrow bands of fringe. At McQ s price point, it s not easy finding the kind of precise tailoring required to make the collection s strongest look, a double-breasted tuxedo dress with satin lapels. The question that was going around the showroom at our appointment was, When is New York going to get its own McQ store?
