If there is any brand that’s really into taking inspiration from the Victorian era, it’s Alexander McQueen. That elegant period of lace, corsets, and strict tailoring has always fascinated the designer and his successor, current creative director Sarah Burton. For Resort 2019, Burton takes her Victorian-esque woman down to the countryside, but this time, she added a touch of sexual subversiveness. Various traditional codes of Victorian dressing, which have also become McQueen’s signature staples, were all there: heavy use of lace, nipped corseted waists, and rigid tailoring. Some of the leather-work, however, looked straight up bondage rather than elegant outerwear, particularly the corseted bodice that was worn over a white lace dress. Some of the tailoring were also taken from the men’s collections, touching upon a sense of gender-fluidity which, at the time, was already starting. It’s safe to say that no other brand understands Victorian dressing quite like this one, and it’s always interesting to see how they’re able to reinterpret that enigmatic era season after season.
Photo: Courtesy of Alexander McQueen
