Fantasy is a word often associated with Alexander McQueen collections. But what about a woman’s real-life sartorial desires? In a nutshell, the idea that you can be dressed just right for any occasion, a straightforward logic shared by the label’s very famous English patron, Kate Middleton. For resort, Sarah Burton moved away from mythical or historical references, but did delve into that other traditionalist territory—tailoring. This was a collection about a curvilinear silhouette and clean cuts that exaggerated the hip but never looked strict or forced. Nipped jackets came with pleated waists, and folds of fabric were hidden within a dress’s mid-section to create a sort of modern bustle effect. There were also some very flatteringly buy-me-now-and-wear-me-forever coat dresses and elongated wide-legged trousers (worn with the new crisp broderie anglais shirt) as well as proper (royal even?) skirts that fell to, or just below the knee, some with a slight A-line swing.
Burton did follow an escapist route via Kabuki, Henri Matisse, and Japanese kimono silk and paper screens for inspiration at surface level. She dedicated segments to Matisse, borrowing the French artist’s collages that reference the human form, and his shades of blue reflected in the floral abstract motifs hand-stitched on oversize Prince of Wales tailored houndstooth fabric. Bomber jackets were rendered in collages of mink, and there were echoes of the artist’s minimal arrangements in the embellishments, like hand-cut silk and organza petals and mirrored hearts applied in floral motifs. The result? Form-fitting dresses that appeared three-dimensional. Serving reality and fantasy in equal measure, this recipe for resort was tempting to say the least.