🌍 Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2023. Mistakes and successes

Fashion and I are like that couple that argues, breaks up, comes back, breaks up again, comes back once more, and so on. We are never completely free of each other and there is a mutual respect. Yesterday I saw the Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2023 show and I have to comment. And maybe I'll do this about other brands later. Although fashion weeks are coming to an end, because of my troubled relationship with fashion, McQueen's was the first one I saw this season.  I'll take a look at others that have already happened and try to follow Milan and see what's worth commenting on.

For those who follow my work since 2010 or before, it's no secret that Alexander McQueen is one of my favourite fashion brands. From 2011 I became more reserved about declaring my loves in the fashion industry, because I was disappointed with another brand that I loved. But life goes on and as we should give opportunities to new partners after a disappointment in love, I must give opportunities to brands other than the ones that let me down.

Let it be clear that this text is my point of view as a consumer, appreciator of art and innovation (and, therefore, a fan of the brand since my adolescence), and style consultant, not a journalistic review. And that's why I won't go into the merits of the collection's theme, and other questions that I leave to fashion journalists. I also have no desire to name different shades of colours. I see them, but I have more important and interesting things to study than shade names.

What were Alexander McQueen's mistakes and successes in this collection? (In portuguese the words for what I think the brand could improve and what is interesting and innovative are more accurate. Anyway, that's about it.).

The colour palette on the show was a paradise for insecure people who only wear neutral colours. In addition to black, white and shades of grey and beige (chromatic grey), which are found in moderate doses in the wardrobe of those with a confident personality, there were jeans in a dark wash, a shade of grape, two shades of red and the show ended.

All of my style consulting clients who claimed to have a “basic style” and were looking to evolve their style into something better had a wardrobe just like this. Neutral colours in large doses and a few pieces of other colours, almost always in dark shades. Perhaps all the people who have loved this collection need my professional advice. Colours are non-verbal communication tools. The excess of neutral colours in clothing indicates insecurity. Knowing how to use other colours in a balanced way generates much more interesting results in terms of personal style.

The design of many pieces was a flirtation with the conventional, with classic tailoring, with which any beginner pattern maker is obliged to know how to do. And that's disappointing.

Yes, the brand presented some interesting pieces.

Men's pieces in general were discreetly daring. I don't pay much attention to men's fashion in general, because it's like a movie I've seen over eighty times, always so conventional and predictable. I don't have any favourite men's fashion brands because boldness always comes in timid doses in those that offer it. I observe every brand I know with this profile. My highlight for men is the pieces that resemble bodices superimposed on the shirt.

It's also no secret that I love androgyny, and in that the most monotonous part of the show was fantastic, because it proposed many clothes with this profile. Men who consider hiring my style consultancy and don't like androgynous looks can rest assured that I don't impose my personal taste on anyone. And as explained above, this text is predominantly about my personal taste and some information about personal style because style consulting is part of me, it cannot be separated.

In the women's show there were exactly 6 pieces that caught my attention in terms of having an interesting design, with an Alexander McQueen look (I mean, looking like something that Alexander himself would have created). All the others were pretty conventional and several had details like necklines or sleeves similar to clothes I created between 2008 and 2010, so, to me, they look very outdated. I won't say which ones I liked. I don't like people without style wearing the same as me. If you want to know them, hire my consultancy and maybe I’ll tell you. I’ll help you to find the best options for your style, for sure. You can also ask the brand to sponsor my work so insistently that they decide to actually do it. If that happens while this collection is in stores or before, I can wear publicly pieces from the men's collection as well.

For professional advice on your style and tips on what to buy, how to wear it, etc., hire my style consultancy.

Nycka the Nomad