Alexander McQueen’s pre-fall 2015 collection provided “a shining beacon of hope” (to quote Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada) to women who love to blend menswear with feminine accents and clean cut designs. Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen and the genius behind this collection, stuck to a fairly simple color palette: black, white, cream and burgundy. And while she did experiment with a few abstract patterns in her designs (going so far as to include a fur collar on a maroon biker jacket), Burton maintained consistency with solids.
But what is it that makes this McQueen collection so inventively McQueen? Military style was a recurring trend in pre-fall 2015 collections. Both Rebecca Minkoff and Altuzarra focused their collections on military-inspired trenches and jumpsuits. Menswear was also a hot trend on the runway, yet Burton chose to take her collection on an unconventional path by incorporating a historical element into her pieces. According to a Style.com review by Tim Blanks, the designer drew inspiration from 19th-century portraits by photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. The designs are reminiscent of the Victorian era; her frock-coats are the most prominent pieces in the collection and are absolutely to die for. Yet it was the square shoulder design found on both the coats and the dresses that immediately caught my eye, making this feature of the collection most worthy of incorporation into my street style.
Keeping in line with the tailoring and square shoulders of the Alexander McQueen collection, I experimented with my signature tweed jacket from Need Supply Co. I wanted to keep the color palette of my look minimal (just as Burton does in the McQueen collection) so attention could fall completely onto my coat. The black grid pattern found on the jacket is a key component of the look because it creates sharp lines that are both eye-catching and flattering. All-black ensembles are popular during the winter months in New York City, but I wanted a contrastive white so I could stand out from the crowd. To a add a little sparkle to my monochromatic Gap crewneck and H&M jeans, I adorned a statement necklace. I then polished my look off with a dark red lip color that paired well with my winter glow.
Alexander McQueen is a spectacular brand, and rarely disappoints come each season’s Fashion Week. This pre-fall 2015 collection inspired me to create a sophisticated look that was stylish enough to be shown off at The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, yet refined to the point where I could the outfit at the office. It was the act of modernizing billowing skirts and square shoulders in the collection that set Alexander McQueen apart from the crowd of green anoraks and ‘70s-inspired flare jeans.
Get My Look: 1. The tweed coat. 2. The square handbag. 3. The perfect dark lip.
