PARIS — Seán McGirr’s second collection as creative director of Alexander McQueen marked a striking departure from his debut, which took place in an underground venue. This time, the Irish-born, London-based designer chose the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts on Paris’s affluent Left Bank for his presentation.
As eerie strings filled the air, guests entered the grand, cavernous hall, including Anna Wintour, who appeared in high spirits while conversing with Salma Hayek and her husband, François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns McQueen. The eclectic front row featured British designer and socialite Daphne Guinness alongside American rapper Cardi B, who donned a luxurious fur coat, signaling a shift from the previous collection’s raw aesthetics to a more polished presentation.
Despite the refined setting, the brand’s gothic essence remained prominent, with the collection drawing inspiration from the banshee, a figure from Irish folklore known for her mournful wails that signal impending death. McGirr articulated the connection, stating, “It’s a common thread that runs between me and McQueen.” He referenced a haunting 1994 collection titled “Banshee,” which included a notable moment featuring a pregnant model with a shaved head. “I started by looking at his sketches from that show, which we have in the archives,” McGirr noted, highlighting the treasures found there, including “unfinished toiles, fabric scraps, and half-beaten shoes.”
Silhouette remained central to the McQueen ethos, with sharp tailoring featuring exaggerated shoulders and ethereal fog-like swirls. The collection also showcased stunning, red carpet-ready gowns infused with whimsical elements and sparkling details. A standout piece was a hooded dress crafted from a web of glimmering strings, embodying McGirr’s vision of the banshee as a “guiding presence” from his childhood, a concept he revisited in recent months.
The color palette danced between silvery grey, ivory, and jet black, interspersed with bold flashes of orange and yellow. Echoing the 1994 collection, the idiosyncratic collars were exaggerated, resembling oversized, upside-down peace lily petals, further bridging McGirr’s vision with McQueen’s storied legacy.
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