VOSS: A Glimpse of McQueen’s World
The legendary designer’s SS2001 Collection interprets unconventional beauty in his eccentric fashion utopia.
Legendary designer Alexander McQueen’s presentation for his Spring Summer 2001 VOSS Collection remains a timeless classic that is intriguing to watch two decades later. McQueen’s muse Kate Moss opened the show as she walked into a padded room with large mirrors on the walls that reminded the audience of a cell in the psychiatric hospital.
Models were wearing hospital headbands and one can’t help but to focus mainly on McQueen’s clothing and headpieces on them as they strutted around what appeared to be a rusted metallic cube in the centre of the room. VOSS started with neutral coloured fashion pieces that include dresses, suits and gowns with three dimensional textures that brought out the flora and fauna elements.
As the audience delved deeper into McQueen’s world, the collection transitioned into different shades of pink and green clothes with outstanding fashion pieces such as an extravagant bird headpiece, accessories of big building shoulder pads and pants with large greyish feathers. The room darkened as everyone was brought into the next segment that introduced blue and grey clothing which featured theatrical gowns that had dyed razor clams sewn on it. The models who wore it were seen ripping pieces of the razor clams as they exited the room.
The colour transition continued as red, gold and brown were brought into the floral themed clothes. McQueen’s floral clothings featured the traditional Japanese-inspired floral print and a futuristic floral patterned design. The show closed with a show-stopper red feather gown as the room darkened. An unexpected ending arrived as the rusty metallic cube slowly opened up and the glass walls shattered as a naked woman wearing a respiratory machine was unveiled. Butterflies representing new beginnings flew out of the cube.
McQueen once said, “Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment.”
VOSS provided us a glimpse of McQueen’s eccentric fashion utopia as he explored the themes of nature and marrying them into his designs, creating fashion pieces that challenged the norms of beauty and boundaries of fashion.
