For spring 2012, Sarah Burton put some lace in our face, well in the models’ faces that is, with her Alexander McQueen runway presentation. She brought out more greatness in the form of sensual colored lace. Hues ranging from ivory to red to black with softer shades in between were seen throughout the collection. Her high waisted dresses show off a traditional silhouette, while more dramatic noir looks carried a shock value with them. Shoes also became an eyecatching staple with knee-high lace up heels and metallic�gold accented shoes.

The garments transitioned emotionally from delicate to dominant. This was also reflected in the headwear, which became more dramatic as well. Underneath the lace head pieces were hair creations from Redken’s Guido Palau. The hair stylist said of the looks, “Overall this season, there was a simplicity and wearablility to the styles we created, but this is not one of them. Often we talk about Fashion Week hairstyles as being more fantasy and aspirational, and the look we created today at Alexander McQueen is just that. All the models are wearing these very intricate masks that I designed with Sarah [Burton] and the idea came from the masks we created for the McQueen exhibit at the Met in New York. It’s always fun and different to work in a design capacity, so when Sarah showed me the collection, the “hair” evolved from there. Each headpiece is slightly individual. In order for the masks to fit on the models’ heads, we braided the hair underneath. This made the overall look more embellished and richer, as you can slightly see the braids through the mask.�

Models Sigrid Agren, Zuzanna Bijoch, Andie Arthur, Kasia Struss, Siri Toller�d, Nimue Smit, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Josefien Rodermans, and Frida Gustavsson all had parts of their faces delicately covered on the catwalk.

Burton continues to wow the fashion world with her deep appreciation for McQueen’s aesthetic and her designs, which are carrying the house towards a feminine direction, while remaining artistic and edgy.

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[images via Style.com]