PARIS - Fashion designers love the rain. It's romantic and mysterious and makes them swoon. They love the idea of a woman caught in the rain, perhaps while walking through a noir cityscape or a tangled country garden.
The woman in their head is wearing spectacular clothes. Clothes that are impervious to rain. In fact, she is wearing clothes that somehow look better after they've taken a beating in the elements. Her hair is plastered to her head and sopping wet. And this is good.
A model presents a creation of Alexander McQueen during Paris Fashion Week. (Xinhua/Piero Biasion)
The idea of dressing in a way that is so effortless - connected to the environment, expressing the beauty of imperfection - is intoxicating. That was the idea behind Sarah Burton's spring 2018 collection for Alexander McQueen. She situated her models in an English garden, creating a runway of ceramic bricks and adorned with floral canopies draped over rustic gazebos. And she made them look as if they'd been caught in a downpour.
A model presents a creation of Alexander McQueen during Paris Fashion Week. (Xinhua/Piero Biasion)
Her models walked out dressed in memories and history. An embroidered ivory dress, fit for a bride, was draped over a pair of black trousers; black and white blazers are tailored for a business day; corseted party dresses exploded with ruffles; white lace decorated metallic silver coats.
The collection mixed precious dresses with nubby sweaters. Shiny black boots had their acrylic block heels filled with pearl baubles and dried flowers. Everything looking a little tattered, a little off but still beautiful, with the craftsmanship presumably never fading. They are the kind of clothes that exist in their own universe instead of being attached to a trend or a whim.
They are not disposable. A little rain won't hurt them. It will only make them better.
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