In the upside-down world of fashion, Pre-Spring comes to our attention only well after the Spring collections have been shown—or at least it does in the case of Alexander McQueen. Reason being: The house is releasing these pictures today, because “Pre” is being delivered to stores right now, in time for the holidays. Let not these labyrinthine explanations get in the way—is there anyone who is not confused by who’s showing what, where, and when? We’ll concentrate instead on appreciating the visually obvious: that Sarah Burton and her team had already started working on the English-eccentric country house and garden theme that made her Spring collection such a hit. The pretty firstfruits are here.
In Britain, you see, it is quite usual to go out to tend the borders in your ball gown, gardening gloves, and an old mackintosh, never mind the weather! Well, obviously, it isn’t exactly normal, but the history and behavior of old English families, with their attics full of heirlooms, forgotten bedrooms left to molder for centuries, and rambling estates has captivated Burton. It has something to do with visiting Chatsworth, the grandest of them all, where the “House Style” exhibition showcasing the contents of the aristocratic Devonshire family’s wardrobes has just ended.
Hence, the makings (and faux unmakings) of these clothes. Tattered country-lady tweeds, traditional silk head scarves, corsets, girdles, crinoline petticoats, as well as adaptations of gentlemanly Savile Row suits and argyle sweaters, formed the framework of a plot in which Burton imagined young girls putting themselves together from the contents of trunks and closets that hadn’t been opened for a generation or two. Chintzy wallpaper prints and ancient, priceless floral tapestries from the house and seed-packet designs, dried flowers, and heavy-duty rubber gardening gloves from the conservatory got involved in the fabrics and embroideries. Prettiest of all: the rose-garden pinks and, especially ’50s-influenced flower-printed chiffon frocks that presage what is to come, later in the spring season.
