Alexander McQueen SS 09

Due to my obligations at The Fashion Spot, where I amateurishly critique the mens shows I’ll only deal with a select few here. Day 1 – for me – was somewhat disappointing with many designers attempting new concepts or drawing on inspiration incongruous to their design aesthetic [although Jil Sander was much desirable with the geometric experimentation and colour panelling]. It was, well, flaccid.

Day 2 saw Alexander McQueen unveil his ‘über glamour of the seventies’-inspired collection which proved a personal highlight so far. Instead of some of the blatant sheer shirts we’ve seen so far McQueen offered a somewhat more demure and yet much more masculine alternative. Colour panelling also featured heavily and was enthralling in its unbounded variety.

There were some looks which seemed to nod subtly to Prada FW 0809 but the femininity concerned here was not as overt as with Miuccia’s creations. McQueen kept tees and shirts rather fitted but the masculine tailoring of both the pants and the robust jackets with which they were combined lent balance.

In some ways, it seemed a little Raf Simons, no?