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Look 45, the final dress from the collection, at Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, Victoria and Albert Museum, 2015

The Horn of Plenty is the thirty-fourth collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, made for the Autumn/Winter 2009 season of his eponymous fashion house.

Background

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British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was known for his imaginative, sometimes controversial designs, and dramatic fashion shows.[1][2] During his nearly twenty-year career, he explored a broad range of ideas and themes, including historicism, romanticism, femininity, sexuality, and death.[3][1][2] He began as an apprentice on Savile Row, earning a reputation as an expert tailor, before briefly working at theatrical costume supplier Berman's & Nathan's in 1989.[4][5] In 1990, McQueen enrolled in the master's-level course in fashion design at Central Saint Martins (CSM), a London art school, where he was mentored by course founder Bobby Hillson.[6][7][8] He graduated with his master's degree in fashion design in 1992.[9]

Birds, wings, and feathers were a recurring theme in McQueen's work throughout his career, particularly in La Dame Bleue (Spring/Summer 2008), whose stage was illuminated by giant blue neon wings, and The Horn of Plenty (Autumn/Winter 2009), which featured women in feathered dresses and a reworked version of the swallows print from The Birds.[10][11][12] More about THE BIRDS!

McQueen had a difficult relationship with the fashion industry and the media. The press preyed on his insecurities about weight and looks.[13][14][15] The extreme styling in his first collections resulted in accusations of misogyny; despite his objections, the label persisted through much of his career.[15][16][17] McQueen was often ambivalent about continuing his career in fashion, which he sometimes described as toxic and suffocating.[18][19][20] By the mid to late 2000s, he had reached a point of exhaustion, at one point saying, "I go in, I do my business, do the parties, and leave."[21] Wastefulness - Natural Selection

Several of McQueen's earlier collections were intended as commentary and critique on fashion.[22] With It's a Jungle Out There (Autumn/Winter 1997), McQueen used the short lifespan of the Thomson's gazelle as a metaphor for the "fragility of a designer's time in the press. You're there, you're gone; it's a jungle out there."[23][24] Voss (Spring/Summer 2001) was staged to force the audience of fashion professionals to watch themselves uncomfortably in the mirrors before the show opened, an act of vengeance against an industry which had often criticised him for his looks.[25][26] What A Merry-Go-Round (Autumn/Winter 2001), which followed Voss, "portrayed fashion as a madhouse and a circus", in the words of fashion theorists Adam Geczy and Vicki Karaminas.[27]

McQueen designing on the floor, personally pinning and sewing, unusual [28]

Concept and collection

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Red sleeveless mini dress with asymmetrical high collar and a pocket on its left side. Dress has a black bird print.
Look 29, featuring a reworked swallow print from The Birds (Spring/Summer 1995)[29]

Title references the pub where the final victim of Jack the Ripper was last seen, calling back to McQueen's first collection, Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims (1992).[30]

Commentary on wastefulness of fashion cycle[31] Disillusioned with fashion industry[30]

The collection was conceived as a dark satire of the fashion industry with pastiches of notable designers and McQueen's past works.[32] McQueen drew on the fashion of the 1950s, especially the New Look created by designer Christian Dior, tweed suits by Coco Chanel, and the little black dress popularised by Hubert de Givenchy.[33][34][35] Primary silhouettes included tailored coats, slim waists, and large shoulders – McQueen staples – and boxy jackets, an uncommon shape for him.[35] McQueen avoided his usual corset-based silhouettes.[35]

Many items were made to resemble trash, such as coats which looked like trash bags.[35][32] Aluminum cans wrapped in plastic headpieces[30]

Houndstooth[35] red orange black[35] "Harlequinade"[35]

Some items and design flourishes were taken from McQueen's own archive [35][36]

Alexander McQueen: Working Process

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Before beginning work on the collection, McQueen sought out photographer Nick Waplington and asked him to document the production process, with the intent of producing a photo book. According to Waplington, McQueen wanted to document the collection closely because "he saw it as closing the door on his first 15 years; he saw it as his last collection as a young man".[37] Waplington shadowed McQueen throughout from the design stage all the way to the runway show, taking approximately 700 to 800 photographs. In an interview with British Vogue, Waplington described watching McQueen at work: "He'd sit quietly, and then there would be these Svengali-like moments where someone would bring him a roll of fabric and he'd jump up and grab the rolls of cloth and drape them over the model and pin them and move them".[37]

McQueen and Waplington selected about 300 photographs, which McQueen arranged for the final book. Although it was completed by late 2009, minor issues with the publisher delayed their signing a contract until after the Christmas holidays that year, and in February 2010, McQueen committed suicide. Waplington received a number of offers to publish the book, but the Alexander McQueen brand asked Waplington to wait. Waplington agreed, not wanting to go ahead "without their blessing".[37] The book, Alexander McQueen: Working Process, was published in 2013.[37] The Tate Britain held an exhibition of the photographs in 2015.[38]

Runway show

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Look 17, presented at Savage Beauty exhibition, 2015

Production details

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The runway show was staged on 10 March 2009 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris.[39] The show was dedicated to McQueen's mother.[32]

The centrepiece of the set was a pile of props from McQueen's past shows, all painted black.[35] The runway was made of cracked black glass.[35]

Catwalk presentation

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Models were styled with stark white face makeup and exaggerated, overdrawn red lips.[30]

Notable ensembles

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Look 42 featured a reworked version of a chainmail yashmak by Shaun Leane originally made for Eye (Spring/Summer 2000), worn underneath a silk gown printed with milk snakes in red, black, and white.[40][35]

Look 45, the final ensemble, is a knee-length dress made of duck feathers dyed black to resemble a raven.[33] The silhouette draws on the exaggerated proportions of the 1950s silhouette, with a small waist and large shoulders.[33] Feathers were a favored material for McQueen.[33]

Reception

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The Horn of Plenty was divisive. Some found the trash theming and extreme makeup misogynistic, while others appreciated the references to classic haute couture.[35]

Sarah Mower from Vogue wrote that McQueen was "the last designer standing who is brave or foolhardy enough" to present a collection so divisive.[35] She felt the collection lacked a romantic side, and instead was full of "anger, defiance, or possibly gallows humor".[35] Although it retained his usual high standard of craftsmanship, she felt the collection "didn't push fashion anywhere new", but suspected that might have been the point McQueen had been making.[35]

When Vogue magazine asked various designers about their favourite shows by others, Marine Serre picked The Horn of Plenty, calling it a "powerful visual critique of consumerism". She said that McQueen's mix of aesthetics and messaging inspired her own work.[41]

Analysis

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Legacy

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Four ensembles from The Horn of Plenty, including black duck feather dress Look 45 – appeared in Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, a retrospective exhibition of McQueen's designs shown in 2011 at The Met and in 2015 at the V&A.[33][42] four including , wood hat Philip Treacy[43] Trash dress added for later one? check.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Australia owns Look 29, a red dress with swallow print and black coordinating boots, and a black and white houndstooth cape from the retail collection.[44][45][46]

In 2017, McQueen's longtime collaborator Shaun Leane auctioned a number of pieces he had created for the house at Sotheby's in New York.[47] Coiled collar originally worn on the runway for It;s a Jungle, reused for Horn.[48] #16 Irere discs also?

Fashion dealer Steven Philip auctioned his collection in 2023, including a number of archival McQueen pieces.[49] A houndstooth ensemble from The Horn of Plenty sold for £3,600, while a red and black blouse sold for £1,600.[50][51]

Seán McGirr, the creative director of the Alexander McQueen brand since 2024, cited The Horn of Plenty and Plato's Atlantis (Spring/Summer 2010) as having had a strong influence on him in his formative years in fashion.[52]

Source dump

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Alexander McQueen – an introduction". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Mora, Juliana Luna; Berry, Jess (2022-09-02). "Creative Direction Succession in Luxury Fashion: The Illusion of Immortality at Chanel and Alexander McQueen". Luxury. 9 (2–3): 126, 128, 132. doi:10.1080/20511817.2022.2194039. ISSN 2051-1817.
  3. ^ Frankel 2011, pp. 13–14. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFFrankel2011 (help)
  4. ^ Vaidyanathan, Rajini (12 February 2010). "Six ways Alexander McQueen changed fashion". BBC Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ Lodwick 2015, p. 247.
  6. ^ Wilson 2015, p. 70.
  7. ^ Callahan 2014, pp. xv–xvi, 24–25, 27.
  8. ^ Cooper, Michelle (6 August 2010). "Who's Who: Bobby Hillson". Vogue.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  9. ^ Blow, Detmar (14 February 2010). "Alex McQueen and Isabella Blow". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  10. ^ Wilson 2015, pp. 11, 311.
  11. ^ Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 15.
  12. ^ O'Neill 2015, pp. 273–274.
  13. ^ Watt 2012, p. 171.
  14. ^ Callahan 2014, pp. 191, 216.
  15. ^ a b Aftab, Kaleem (7 June 2018). "Alexander McQueen proved money doesn't bring you happiness, but will the truth of his character be revealed in latest documentary?". The Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  16. ^ Elenowitz-Hess 2022, p. 200.
  17. ^ Gleason 2012, p. 32.
  18. ^ "The McQueen chronicles". Women's Wear Daily. 28 September 2000. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  19. ^ Wilson 2015, pp. 226, 254–255, 320.
  20. ^ Thomas 2015, p. 159.
  21. ^ Thomas 2015, p. 333.
  22. ^ Wilson 2015, p. 260.
  23. ^ "It's a Jungle Out There, Autumn/Winter 1997–98". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  24. ^ Cutting Up Rough (Television production). The Works. BBC Two. 20 July 1997. Event occurs at 23:42–24:10.
  25. ^ Watt 2012, pp. 167–168.
  26. ^ Callahan 2014, p. 216.
  27. ^ Geczy & Karaminas 2019, p. 83.
  28. ^ Frankel 2011, p. 23. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFFrankel2011 (help)
  29. ^ Esguerra & Hansen 2022, p. 133.
  30. ^ a b c d Homer 2023, p. 115.
  31. ^ Homer 2023, p. 112.
  32. ^ a b c Bethune 2015, p. 320.
  33. ^ a b c d e "Dress, The Horn of Plenty, Autumn/Winter 2009–10". Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ Wilson, Eric (11 March 2009). "McQueen leaves fashion in ruins". The New York Times.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mower, Sarah (10 March 2009). "Alexander McQueen Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear Collection". Vogue. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  36. ^ Homer 2023, pp. 112, 115.
  37. ^ a b c d Milligan, Lauren (10 September 2013). "Beginning to end: The real McQueen". British Vogue. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  38. ^ Cochrane, Lauren (10 March 2015). "Five things we learned about the other Alexander McQueen exhibition". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  39. ^ Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 347.
  40. ^ "Yashmak". Victoria and Albert Museum. 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  41. ^ Garcia-Furtado, Laia (19 August 2024). "28 fashion designers reveal their all-time favorite fashion shows". Vogue. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  42. ^ Alexander, Hilary (2 May 2011). "Alexander McQueen's 'Savage Beauty' honoured in style". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  43. ^ Bolton 2011, pp. 232–234.
  44. ^ "Artists | NGV". National Gallery of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  45. ^ "Look 29, dress and boots". National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 21 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ "Cape". National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 21 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  47. ^ "Couture Fashion Jewellery: The Personal Archive of Shaun Leane - N09794". Sotheby's. 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2024. Must be logged in to see actual selling price.
  48. ^ "(#33) Coiled Collar, Shaun Leane". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  49. ^ Goldstone, Violet (9 June 2023). "Coveted John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood pieces go up for auction". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  50. ^ "Lot 500 - A good Alexander McQueen ensemble". Kerry Taylor Auctions. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  51. ^ "Lot 501 - An Alexander McQueen satin blouse". Kerry Taylor Auctions. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  52. ^ Phelps, Nicole (2 March 2024). "At Alexander McQueen, Seán McGirr wants to 'let the light in'". Vogue Business. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

Bibliography

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