TREND I-SPY

I recently went to see the Met's Spring 2012 Costume Institute exhibition,  Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations  and was quite smitten with the striking head coverings and masks of the mannequins.  They were designed by the hair genius Guido Palau who also created last year's head pieces for Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.  The Met has issued both prints and cards of the work with  illustrations by Miguel Villalobos.

Having shot the Fall 2011 ads for Alexander McQueen on Raquel Zimmermann,  David Sims follows up with the Spring 12 campaign featuring Zuzanna Bijoch. Breathtaking...

“ I have always loved the mechanics of nature and to a greater or lesser extent my work is always informed by that.” —Alexander McQueen  Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty , at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has now closed. With a total of 661,509 visitors, it's the most visited fashion exhibition in the museum’s history. McQueen’s runway shows were well known for their sense of Victorian theatrical drama with sets that included birdcages, butterflies, feathered wings and antlers. The exhibition, under the direction of curator, Andrew Bolton, successfully captured this spirit of Gothic splendor with its combination of horror and romance. Nature was the greatest, or at least the most enduring, influence upon McQueen. It was also a central theme, if not the central theme of nineteenth century Romanticism.  Many artists of the Romantic Movement presented nature itself as a work of art. McQueen both share...

Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian   has pointed out that The Duchess of Cambridge has made some diplomatic fashion choices during her trip to Canada with husband Prince William. For example, the Princess has twice worn dresses designed by ErdemMoralioglu , a Canadian-born London designer, definitely an appropriate choice. I'd even go a step further and say that the Kate's wardrobe is wrought with symbolism. On Canada Day, she wore her cream Reiss "Nannette" dress, the same one she wore in her formal engagement portraits taken by Mario Testino. Her red maple-leaf fascinator was reminiscent of a hat worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, when she and Prince Charles toured Canada in 1983. A final touch was the Queen's Maple Leaf brooch which is on loan to the Duchess. The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, wore the brooch on her first visit to Canada in 1951. Katherine wore the pin to decorate a stunning purple Issa dress. We'll never know how William...

Finally we know who designed the dress, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace, and was custom-made to include the four emblems of the United Kingdom: the rose, the thistle, the daffodil and the shamrock. The dress, made of ivory and white satin gazar, had lace handcrafted to ensure all adorning flowers were of matching colour and style. The veil, made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, subtly dropped onto the long train, 2 metres and 70 cms long, which fell three steps down onto the Abbey steps. The shoes, were Alexander McQueen too, and made of ivory duchess satin. The long lace sleeves of the dress are bound to set a trend for future bridal gowns. It has been remarked upon by many that the gown is reminiscent of the one worn by Grace Kelly on her wedding day.  ...