Alexander McQueen Silk Chiffon Dress - Flounce

Continuing on the deconstruction of Alexander McQueen’s fabric manipulations, flounce played a big part of a lot of his designs.

This McQueen dress has a darted, bias-cut bodice with spiral semi-transparent chiffon flounces. It appears that they might be attached intermittently along the irregular diagonal seams of the bodice. The flounce also has an appearance of “glowing out of the seams”.

The skirt continues this method of construction, but with a greater intensity of voluminous fabric. What interests me about this garment is how the flounces are attached to the seams and how the bodice has both the structure and volume. Of course, this dress in person was absolutely incredible. 

Here’s a sample of how the flounce was made. To achieve the effect of a flowing wave, it had to be cut on bias.

Alexander McQueen Bosch silk-jacquard dress - Inflecting Pleating

Last week I stood in a three-hour line to see the Alexander McQueen “Savage Beauty” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There is a lot that can be said about it, but I am pretty sure that what I could say would never really encompass him and his work in words eloquent enough to do them justice. In short it was well worth the wait in the heat with the crowd. The real reason I mention this is because I’d like more to address the details of his work than the generalities of the exhibit. Two words: Fabric Manipulation. It was endless, beautiful, and hard to deconstruct, but I’d like to attempt to do so anyway [in several posts].

The craftsmanship of this McQueen silk-jacquard dress is incredible. According to the Alexander McQueen website, the dress is inspired by 14th century Hieronymus Bosch paintings and was cut on the stand by McQueen. Black silk dress with hand-loomed jacquard. Internal boning at bodice with a concealed zip and hook fastenings at back and is fully lined. 100% silk; lining: 74% acetate, 26% silk.

Complemented the elaborately pleated skirt. This is the exterior inflecting pleating pattern. With enough fabric and patience, it can be manipulated so that it articulates the circumference of the body and still keeps its form.

The autumn winter 2010 dress is part of the last collection designed by McQueen before his death.

This dress retailed for £12,420 at Net-A-Porter.