June 9, 2021: Alexander McQueen has returned triumphantly with a collection that’s equal parts romantic and poetic after taking a break from fashion week due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, June 8, the British fashion house presented its Fall 2021 womenswear collection through a series of striking portraits by Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi. For creative inspiration for the luxury label’s latest line, creative director Sarah Burton looked to the healing powers of nature.
Entitled “Anemones,” the 22-piece collection comprises everything from cool denim and moto jackets to puff sleeves and voluminous skirts. “It feels like now is a time for healing, for breathing new life, for exploring echoes from the past to enrich our future,” says Burton in a statement shared with GRAZIA USA. “More than ever, a sense of humanity, of the team working together with a single aim—to make something beautiful, something meaningful—feels both precious and important.”
Burton embraces the theme of anemones and water throughout the collection. “Anemones are the most ephemeral flowers, here made permanent in cloth,” she mentions. This is presented most literally through dreamy pink, black, and red-hued poly-faille dresses embellished with floral abstracts, perfect for slipping on for a summer soiree. “The women wearing the anemone dresses almost become like flowers, like their embodiment, their character—but amplified, grounded, radiant and strong.”
As seen in the FW21 collection, the dramatic is contrasted with the label’s signature romantic touch. For example, a white T-Shirt dress features a trailing water lily decorated in sequin that seamlessly flows down the garment’s length. The result is a range that’s both punk chic and elegant, fusing the aforementioned moto jackets, waist belts, and metal zippers with luxury feminine silhouettes. This concept is also exemplified via the collection imagery, which is simultaneously dark yet artfully magnificent.
