Stella McCartney Autumn/Winter 2010-11
Comments (0) “THIS show is dedicated to my hubby, kids, family, team and friends. This one is also for Lee… You’re missed!
Stella McCartney paid tribute to Alexander McQueen thus in her show notes this morning. The British designer, who studied at Central Saint Martins at the same time as McQueen, invited us to the Opera House this sunny – but freezing – morning in Paris to show a pretty, very pared down collection for autumn/winter 2010-11. Sharp tailoring, luxurious cashmere knits and matching trousers comprised no-nonsense daywear that was followed by subtly sequinned and lace evening wear that made up a beautifully managed collection with all the Stella quality but slightly less of the pizzazz.
She began with warm camel and black horizontal stripes on a jacket and then a Sixties style tunic – the same tunic reappeared as ultra short dresses with slashed necklines and shoulder seams to show a brief glimpse of chiffon within. Graphic, linear minidresses were offset by nicely fitted trousers – Stella always has her eye on comfort as an inherent factor of style – while one black one with a chiffon single strap and a sheer strip down one side ensured sex appeal was high on the agenda, too. Natty little skirt suits had a strip of chiffon around the waist, while a grey cashmere sweater worn with matching trousers was serenely chic – they won’t hit headlines but they’re bound to be money spinners with the Stella set, as will oversized Parkas of tan or black and white with zips up the central back seam. Bright orange ribbed knits or teeny weeny polo neck dresses added a flash of colour, as did fuchsia silk cocktail dresses – their sequins overlaid in the lightest chiffon as if to tone down any celebratory notion. Enlarged fish scale sequins looked best in nude on the front of minidresses whose backs were extended to the floor and so floated out as the models walked by. Fine, barely-there lace had its patterns picked out in the same colour as its chiffon overlay for bodices and minidresses that had a ghostly beauty – a new concentration on technique put these pieces in a different realm to the rest – while a super short, loose black silk one-shouldered minidress was typically Stella: sexy without shouting about it to get you noticed without noticing.
in line with his final wishes, his family said on Monday. McQueen, who rose from a modest background to become one of the world’s most flamboyant and high-profile designers, committed suicide in February on the day before his mother’s funeral. A family statement said: “On the 29th May 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen was laid to rest on the Isle of Skye. ”Lee cherished the times that he was able to spend on the Isle of Skye — he enjoyed the beauty, peace and tranquillity. It was Lee’s final request that his ashes should be buried at Kilmuir,” it said. They also thanked Isabella MacDonald and her family at the local Kinloch Lodge Hotel on Skye, “whose support at this sad time was of immense help in making it possible for them to carry out Lee’s wishes.” The body of the 40-year-old was found hanged in a wardrobe in his central London flat. An inquest into his death concluded in April that he had taken cocaine, sleeping pills and tranquillisers before killing himself. McQueen was one of fashion’s superstars and designed for Givenchy before being creative director of his own label. His death cast a cloud over New York’s and London’s Fashion Week, which was just about to start when he died.
Sarah Burton, has a large pair of shoes to fill in becoming the creative director of the brand. The parent company Gucci Group which owns 51% of the McQueen brand, announced that Burton will supervise the creative direction and development of all collections of the brand going forwards. Burton, 35, was born in Manchester, began working for the late designer, in 1996, while she was in her final year at Central St. Martins – McQueen’s own alma mater. She was appointed head of women’s wear design in 2000, and was working closely with the designer right up until his untimely death by suicide, in February. due to this she probably knows McQueen professionaly as well as anyone as she worked wit him for 14 years. we wish her the best of luck but she might not need it, as she is as safe a pair of hands as the brand could get.
offering called frozen dreams, some of the prints are in keeping with what was shown on the catwalk this year in the summer, alexander mcqueens kaleidoscopic patterns (right), only with vlisco they are more colourful in keeping with the style that predominbates on the continent. But nonetheless there is an assortment of prints that will be the delight of many a designer and tailor. the beauty of these fabriques is that with the richness of the colours and the complexity of the patterns there is a limitless 
array of styles that can be conjured, from frills to oregami folds. 
This is from Alexander McQueen’s Autumn/Winter 09-10 ready to wear collection, … if you would dare ….