"The Dance of the Twisted Bull" was the title of Alexander McQueen s highly anticipated collection, his first since partnering with Gucci Group and deciding to show in Paris.
McQueen pulled off a bravura, Latin-themed romp. One particularly theatrical dress came equipped with banderillas—the long spears with which bullfighters pique bulls—that seemed to impale the wearer in order to support a long ruffled train in the back. Another, a severely deconstructed blood-red señorita dress, had part of a jacket attached at the waist, while a matador-inspired strapless gown featured a built-in sword. An assortment of polka-dotted frocks were layered over matching stockings, and cinched with corsetlike straps and holster-inspired tops.
Alongside these dramatic statements came plenty of carefully tailored, eminently wearable clothes, deftly proving McQueen s ability to mix iconoclastic statements with commercially viable product. Razored jackets were softened via seashell-like pleated skirts with gently upturned fronts; flared-sleeve eyelet shirts, layered skirts, and embroidered white jeans all looked confident, as did the cut-out dresses and sharp-as-a-tack toreador suits.
