The overlap between the Oscars and Paris Fashion Week was magnified by Sarah Burton's collection for Alexander McQueen. With her moody, theatrically tinged presentations, matched by clothes worthy of an epic film period production, Burton could hold her own on the Dolby theatre stage with any top film costumer today. Though she frequently dabbles in futurism, this season Burton went back a couple of centuries to the cold, deserted English countryside. Her runway convincingly reproduced an early morning highland, replete with rocks and bumpy tufts of moss. At first we could barely make out the women who marched out in black astrakhan coats and capes trimmed in fox, their silhouettes barely perceptible against the early morning dark sky. And then, slowly, with everything illuminated, tiers of crisp white eyelet cotton were sharply defined on voluminous dresses. Burton worked a number of Victorian codes, from rich velvet devoré that flounced on skirts, to tightly-wound braiding that took on a punkish twist on the model's corn rowed heads. But she also threw in the savage side of living on the open plains, covering her models with enough long-haired, striped fur to evoke a pack of ferocious wolves. At this point the models wore black fox eyebrows and stomped through the grounds with their all-purpose flat boots, just before things took a romantic turn. Burton finished with a transparent lace gown finale that was every bit as poetic and heart tugging as the end of Wuthering Heights.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
Reuters presents the 500 most impactful photographs of the last 40 years in a new book'In the Moment: 40 Years of Reuters Photojournalism,' published by Thames & Hudson', celebrates an era of iconic photography
-
At La Fondation hotel in Paris, minimalism has irresistible warmthOnce a parking lot, this 17th-arrondissement stay now offers rooftop city views, cocooning suites, and interiors by Roman & Williams
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expectFive moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
-
Donna Trope celebrates the power of the Polaroid in Paris‘Polaroids used to be my rejects, and now they are my holy grail,’ says the beauty photographer, as she shows rarely seen images in a Paris exhibition
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
