Global warming on the runway

If there is one thing a fashion designer knows how to do it is take ques from the outside world. As I have talked about in my earlier post about the recent Paris Fashion Week (good) designers take an idea a concept or a whole philosophy from outside sources, blend it with their own personal style, theories on design, and their skills and create (again stress the good part) some truly amazing clothes.One such designer, who I was much aggrieved that I skipped last time 'round, has graced us with his vision again.
Alexander McQueen is one of the true artists of the Fashion industry. His shows can are at worst high fashion, at there best true performance art.
According to style.com the press release from McQueen stated the enviorment as an external source of inspiration, according to style.com he "was casting an apocalyptic forecast of the future ecological meltdown of the world: Humankind is made up of creatures that evolved from the sea, and we may be heading back to an underwater future as the ice cap dissolves."
The show was to be streamed live, but a last minute change in plans and a tweet from one Lady GaGa announcing the premier of her new single during the show promptly crashed the servers. The evidence of the original intent was present on the runway in the form of two hulking robotic cameras. The contrast to the shimmering white runway was almost as stunning as the clothes that made their way down said runway.
Its hard to know where to start with this show, the impeccable yet topic appropriate tailoring, the crisp laser printed patterns that looked more Rorschach than runway, the reptilian-esque sculpted hair or the even more prehistorically textured heels, described by Sarah Mower of style.com as "Grotesque shoes that looked like the armored heads of a fantastical breed of antediluvian sea monster."
 One can only assume that this collection is a sort of amalgamation of McQueens penchant for scuba diving, the general unease over global warming heightened by the increase of natural disasters of a large scale and a healthy dose of pure genius. The dichotomy of a future uncertain was mimicked in the balance of the hysterical patterns printed by machine and the heavy sky high creature like heels.
The combined effect quite stunning both from a design perspective and from a social point. More and more designers seem to be using the runways afforded them to make a statement, wither it be political, social, or humanitarian. For better or worse designers are in the social fray making points all that more poignant by shaping the clothes we wear with the ideas that they have taken in turn from us.
Feedback loop baby.

and now for some eye candy

 

Photos(All) www.syle.com

"You know I would eat this fucking heel by the way, I would eat this shoe for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." -Rachel Zoe





PS: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2010RTW-AMCQUEEN to see all the looks for this season and past