Alexander McQueen’s “Natural Dis-tinciton and Un-Natural Selection” s/s 2009.

Bjork’s tribute to Lee Alexander McQueen by Nick Knight.

“Sarabande”, shown in the round, accompanied by a live chamber orchestra, and in a set designed to evoke a deserted theatre and dominated by a single crystal chandelier, Sarabande is perhaps McQueen’s most unashamedly romantic show to date. The inspiration is Handel’s Sarabande of the title – a majestic and elegant dance - the portraits of Goya, the turn of the century exotic and socialite Marchesa Luisa Casati and garden flowers. As always, there is a melancholic undertone: faded flowers are trapped in chiffon and lace, ruffled skirts constructed out of tiers of delicate petals and prints are botanical – brightly coloured birds and blooms, scattering swallows and winding stems of leaves. Show pieces include a dress made entirely out of frozen flowers. Tailoring is this time more fluid than it has been and clothing indebted to horsemanship is worn with finely worked, oversized pirate shirts. McQueen’s idealisation of the feminine form continues with an exaggerated hour-glass silhouette. Alexander McQueen s/s 2007.

“The Horn of Plenty”, Subtitled, Everything but the Kitchen Sink. “The concept here is a play between a profound respect for and the subversion of the haute couture tradition. The set features a pile of debris - everything from rubbish bags and crushed car parts to broken fairground horses and castaway chairs - much of it recycled props from past McQueen shows. The clothes themselves draw on haute couture signatures - Dior’s iconic hounds tooth check, the elegance of Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy - and takes them apart at the seams. Aforementioned check breaks away into a magpie print inspired by M.C. Escher, or is scarred with vinyl reminiscent of the splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock. Gowns are crafted in what looks like bin-liners or broken records but are in fact highly expensive paper nylon and lacquered silk respectively. Hats echo the ordurous theme - washing machine hoses, umbrellas, lampshades and more are transformed into objects of beauty. McQueen’s models stand taller and prouder than ever in hugely elevated footwear. All in all, this is power-dressing at its most elaborate and extreme. Alexander McQueen f/w 2009.