“Give me time,” declared Alexander McQueen, “and I’ll give you a revolution.” Sarah Burton, who continues to carry the name of McQueen’s label certainly has a penchant for honoring this legacy, with collections which could have easily been at the hands of the late designer. For Resort 2013, Burton, among a sundry of influences, was inspired by another figure who sought to revolutionize, David Bowie.

For Burton, the costumery of The Glam Rock era was perfect for accentuating limbs. Burton may have invaded space in the style of Bowie – but this space was slightly more refined. Androgynous, with an emphasis on flair, the flamboyant designs of the 70′s decade were glittering and angular. This, of course, also being a nod to the Art Deco era, one half a century earlier, but equally embellished.

In terms of silhouette, the collection was first and foremost about the body, “To be sleeker, more sexy,” explained Burton. “We had been doing a lot of peplums, but we took them away to make the torso fitted and wanted to visually elongate the legs as much as possible.” In addition to alluding to McQueen’s original flair for menswear, Burton emphasized angels, with neat geometry, in form of razor-sharp pant-suits, tailcoats, bell-bottomed trousers, and most importantly shoulders tipped to perfection. Thick cinched waist belts were fluid throughout the collection, giving the illusion of an even higher waist than one might think possible. The designs featured decadent gilded prints, heavy beadwork, drapery crepes, metallic patchwork embroidery, and prints ranging from abstract dragonfly to golden giraffes.

Rounding out the collection, Deco-inspired evening wear exuded the feminitely less present in the collection’s initial commencement. The gowns were trim and streamlined – with an emphasis on the nape. Shimmering gold contrasted with stark black pallates created decadent texture, fit for the most refined 20′s affair or even a glam rock ball. A singular burst of orange in form of a strapless floor-length seemed to call-out to Bowie’s blazing orange mullet circa.

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I hope you can swim, because spring 2012 collections dived into the deep end with sea themed garments. Think mermaids, sea creatures, shells, and barnacles all re-imagined in high fashion form.

First there was Christian Siriano who said he was inspired by sea creatures, which is why his collection was full of bright hues and ruffles. Then Prabal Gurung showed some scuba material pieces in his daring collection.

However, these ended up being teasers for what was to come abroad when both Versace (left) and Chanel (right) showcased sea themed collections. Perhaps Donatella & Karl have been drinking from the same Kool-Aid? Versace debuted prints packed with sea shells and sea horses, while Chanel had a shell of a show thanks to an underwater inspired set.

Last, but certainly not least, Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen presented gowns which had a dark underwater influence filled with aquatic drama. Think barnacles showered with delicate lace and beaded accents.

So, who’s ready to go for a stylish swim?

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 Tollerød, 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]

Ever since Sarah Burton has taken the reigns as creative director at Alexander McQueen after the designer‘s passing, the high fashion house has had new life breathed into it. Their latest ad campaign follows in the footsteps of McQueen, but also carries some new earth shaking appeal. The image above might make you think Raquel Zimmermann has superpowers or is an angel based on the way light glows around her. Photographed by David Sims, these images make you wonder if there’s some revolutionary event in the works…

If you’re like me you thought (at least for a quick second) the exclusive set of pencils inspired by Alexander McQueen‘s Spring/Summer 2010 collection and the Savage Beauty exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York collection were pretty cool. And then you thought about it a little more and wondered, wait…who writes in pencil anymore? Exactly. The pencils, which are available online at Colette, won’t set you back much they are a little less than 5 bucks a pencil…but still? I mean, why didn’t they just brand really cool pens? Now that I can roll with.

What do you think?

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Designer Sarah Burton really has had quite the run…or rather quite the year…on top of amazing collections season after season for Alexander McQueen, she was also the chosen one who designed Kate Middelton’s wedding dress. And Burton like a good wine that only gets better with time, just keeps pushing the forefront of fashion’s creativity, design wise. Her latest collection which she described as “Romantic Utility” was all about military jackets, long lace silhouettes, tough-like corsets and subtle, yet classic to McQueen-form gold accents. The attention went to the fitted waists with pant ensembles but also softened up with gorgeous tulle gowns and structured skirts. I loved that Burton was able to incorporate animal print accents without them seeming too overwhelming. Where there definitely was a masculine feel, Burton also managed to keep it romantically feminine. Her summation of Alexander McQueen Resort 2012, like her designs, couldn’t have been more on point.

Peep the gallery below for more!

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[via WWD and Style.com]

After getting ready in the window at Barneys, Guinness flew off to the Met. Her feathered frocked was one of the most talked about pieces of the evening–and for good reason. The McQueen statement piece looks like it should be hanging in a museum (like the other McQueen dresses on display), instead Guinness wears the gown with pride.

From feathers to eggs…Anna Dello Russo’s egg hat paired alongside a white and black suit with gold leafed accents was another hit garment last night (I’m sensing an unintentional bird theme here). Russo is well known for her attention getting attire, so it’s just like her to find a playful conversation piece for the event.

If there wasn’t enough McQueen on the red carpet for attendees, their certainly was inside the exhibit. Many pieces designed by McQueen were on display from garments to artsy accents- it truly was “savage beauty” coming to life. The gala was a celebration of the designer’s work and his successor Sarah Burton was also in attendance after dressing the royal bride.

See more of our favorite McQueen gowns below:

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[images via Style.com]

A gorgeous and intricate gown designed by Alexander McQueen. This dress is part of the Costume Institute’s exhibit, “Savage Beauty” dedicated to the late designer.