The Victorian era with its flamboyant and baroque extravagance lured hundreds of designers into a beautiful fantasy world. Sarah Burton is one of the pioneer style godmothers who decided to dedicate the autumn collection to the cult of the golden decades. The heiress to the throne of the McQueen atelier revealed that the inspiration came, “By researching folk art and Romany art, which then became Spanish, and then it all somehow linked up with Victoriana and fifties couture.” The motto for the new season is definitely 'refinement' and 'stand-out' elegance.
The Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2012 collection follows the progress of the ever-evolving needs of the style armada, however, the atelier also flaunts its loyalty to traditional and age old fashion design patterns. Juggling with ultra-defined shapes and sculpting real style artworks from the otherwise pretty fluid velvet is the real ace in the sleeve of Sarah Burton. Grown-up glamor is fused with the vulnerability of a real princess who wears breath-taking ball gowns and silky coats which accentuate her hourglass figure. Full skirts decorated with crafty embroideries and high-impact appliques make up the core of the memorable collection. Look out for the outfit repertoire which shows you the woman you want to be!
The Victorian Era as the time of glamor left us a generous and dazzling style legacy. Sarah Burton decided to use these gifts and incorporate them into the pre-fall collection. Skirts take the center stage and become the real jewelry pieces of the show. As the designer claims, “They are kind of velvet wheels, I suppose!”. The belted mid-section along with the voluminous silhouette give these haute couture dresses and skirts a revolutionary and luxurious feel. With the chosen chromatic palette the visionary designer uses to preserve the Renaissance and slightly understated aura of these ensembles. Aubergine, black, burgundy and last but not least oxblood red are the only hues used to set the perfect atmosphere of this reverie.
Despite the abundance of colors used by other designers to help us break with the tradition of a gloomy season chromatic palette, Sarah Burton cultivates a more temperate style of color selection and sticks to universally-flattering shades. Adding a few ultra-impressive and floor-sweeping evening gowns to the collection proved to be a remarkable weapon to melt the heart of all red-carpet-worthy fashionistas.
Image courtesy of Alexander McQueen
