Jump to content

Scanners (Alexander McQueen collection)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ensemble in cream with brown accents. Top is in fur, with hood and long sleeves. Bottom is a skirt with asymmetrical hem lined with puffs.
Ensemble from Scanners presented at Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse

Scanners (Autumn/Winter 2003) was the twenty-second collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen for his eponymous fashion house. The collection is based on the idea of exiles travelling eastward through northern Eurasia: Siberia, Tibet, and finally Japan. The designs borrow heavily from the traditional clothing and art of those areas, and reflect an overall aesthetic of luxury, with voluminous silhouettes and rich materials. Cultural motifs include heavy embroidery, traditional patterns, and kimono-like shapes.

The runway show was staged on 8 March 2003 at the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris, with production by McQueen's usual creative team. The set was made to look like a desolate tundra with rocks and snow. A clear plastic wind tunnel was suspended over the runway on industrial scaffolding for some models to walk through. Fifty-nine looks were presented in roughly three stages, representing the journey through each of Siberia, Tibet, and Japan. The show ended with a model struggling through the wind tunnel in an enormous kimono.

Critical reception was mixed, although sales were reportedly strong. Academic analysis has considered the question of whether McQueen was engaging in cultural appropriation. Items from Scanners have appeared in exhibitions like the retrospective Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.

Background

[edit]

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was known for his imaginative, sometimes controversial designs.[1][2] During his nearly twenty-year career, he explored a broad range of ideas and themes, including historicism, romanticism, femininity, sexuality, and death.[1][2][3] He began as an apprentice on Savile Row, earning a reputation as an expert tailor; later he learned dressmaking as head designer for French fashion house Givenchy.[a][6][7] Although he worked in ready-to-wear – clothing produced for retail sale – his showpiece designs featured a degree of craftsmanship that verged on haute couture.[8][9][10]

McQueen's personal fixations had a strong influence on his designs. He played on visual and thematic contrasts for effect.[11] He incorporated his love of nature into his works with visual motifs and organic materials.[12] The set for his Autumn/Winter 1999 collection The Overlook had depicted an isolated winter landscape.[13][14] Scanners returned to a winter setting, the opposite of the Amazon rainforest inspiration for Irere (Spring/Summer 2003).[15][16] McQueen was also fascinated with Japanese culture and Buddhism.[17] He had referenced Japanese clothing in his previous collection Voss (Spring/Summer 2003) and would do so again in It's Only a Game (Spring/Summer 2005).[18]

His fashion shows were often elaborate to the point of being performance art, and audiences began to expect him to present dramatic spectacles.[19][20][21] Previous seasons had seen models drenched with artificial rain (Untitled, Spring/Summer 1998), sprayed with paint by robots (No. 13, Spring/Summer 1999), or trapped in a faux-padded cell (Voss, Spring/Summer 2000).[22] Although generally well-received, Irere had garnered some criticism for its fairly mundane show.[23][24][25]

Concept and creative process

[edit]
Dresses from Scanners at Mind, Mythos, Muse

Scanners (Autumn/Winter 2003) was the twenty-second collection McQueen designed for his eponymous fashion house. The collection is based on the idea of exiles travelling eastward through northern Eurasia: Siberia, Tibet, and finally Japan.[b][16][17] The materials, silhouettes, and aesthetics of the designs borrow heavily from the traditional clothing and art of those areas, reflecting the cultural exchanges that followed the Silk Road and the resulting spread of Buddhism.[17]

Overall, the collection had a sense of opulence, and McQueen's precision tailoring was prominent throughout.[15][17][16][26] Silhouettes were luxuriously oversized, with frock coats over tight waists and full A-line skirts.[15][16][27] There were also draped and empire waist.[28][15][27] Materials were similarly rich: brocades, fox and mink furs, and leather.[29][27][30][31][15] Some items were rendered in modern materials like neoprene.[16] Some critics suggested an influence from McQueen's time at Givenchy, particularly in the silhouettes and level of craftsmanship.[32][15]

The collection opened with Russian-inspired pieces featuring embroidery, pom-poms, metallic trimming, and fur – known historically in Russia as "soft gold" for its value as a luxury good.[15][16][17] The embroidery may have drawn on imagery from Russian folk tales.[26] This phase also included jute and quilted fabric for several items.[15][29][27][30] The muted khaki tones and use of quilting suggested an influence from military chic.[31][16][33] Although placed in the Russian section of the show, the paneled structure of Look 12 is reminiscent of samurai armour.[16][34]

The introduction of checkered fabric and a complex geometrical floral pattern called kati rimo indicated a transition to Tibetan-inspired clothing.[17] Kai rimo, meaning "brocade design", is a traditional Tibetan pattern derived from Chinese textiles. Items with this pattern, including fabric and painted furniture, are associated with Buddhism because they were often used for temple decorations.[17] While traditionally multi-coloured, McQueen's versions in this section were rendered in black and white.[17] Other Tibetan-inspired elements include full circle skirts, use of shearling, and decorative braiding.[35] The checked patterns, particularly the Glengarry cap from Look 33, have also been interpreted as military chic.[33] Others have interpreted this segment, particularly the bodysuits in leather, as drawing on punk fashion and cyberpunk fashion, with influence from the film Blade Runner (1982).[16][36]

The final phase of Scanners borrowed from the clothing and culture of Japan, incorporating kimono-like silhouettes and sunrise motifs that played on the country's nickname, Land of the Rising Sun.[17] In this portion, geometric patterns were rendered in red on white, particularly shokkō, the Japanese name for the Tibetan kai rimo pattern. Like kai rimo, shokkō patterns were also associated with Buddhist temples.[17][27] Some looks may have been influenced by Japanese manga characters.[16][29]

Runway show

[edit]
Adina Fohlin wearing the long white cape from her second appearance in Scanners

The runway show was staged on 8 March 2003 at the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris.[37] Invitations were printed with images of McQueen's brain scan.[27] The soundtrack included the Sid Vicious cover of "My Way", the Tiffany cover of "I Think We're Alone Now", and the Sparks single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us".[16][29] Air raid sirens played over pop music from Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.[38][39] The showpiece sections featured selections from the 1904 opera Madama Butterfly.[39][40]

McQueen typically worked with a consistent creative team for his shows. Katy England was responsible for overall styling, while Gainsbury & Whiting handled production.[41] Joseph Bennett, who had designed all of McQueen's runways since No. 13 (Spring/Summer 1999), took care of set design.[42][43] Eugene Souleiman styled hair, while Val Garland handled makeup.[41]

Philip Treacy created headwear for the collection, including Glengarry caps, headpieces based on the Japanese rising sun motif, and an engraved red and white glass mitre worn with Look 47.[27][30] The mitre may have been a tribute to Isabella Blow, who was a mutual friend and muse of Treacy and McQueen; she wore a similar hat in a Vanity Fair portrait in 1997.[30][44] The hat worn with Look 2, a black peaked cap adorned with a circle of black feathers shaped like spears may also have been a reworking of one that Blow wore for The New Yorker in March 2001.[30]

The set was made to look like a desolate tundra with rocks and snow.[27][29] The backdrop was a satellite photograph of Antarctica.[28] McQueen said he "wanted it to be like a nomadic journey across the tundra. A big, desolate space, so that nothing would distract from the work."[32] A clear plastic wind tunnel was suspended over the runway on industrial scaffolding for some models to walk through.[15][16] Bennett designed the tunnel to look like a "35 mm film strip" in which models fought a "horizontal blizzard".[43] Models were styled with large buns placed, like topknots, at the top of their heads.[27]

Fifty-nine looks were presented.[c][32] The show opened with Adina Fohlin crossing the overhead walkway wearing a fur-trimmed vest and A-line skirt, followed by a series of about twenty Russian-inspired looks.[29][32] Looks 23 to 41 were monochromatic black and white, with Tibetan-inspired patterns.[32] Following these looks, the lights went down and Fohlin returned to the walkway, which now functioned as a wind tunnel. She wore a black and white bodysuit with a cape harnessed to her. Two models in red and white ensembles entered and crossed the darkened stage while Fohlin crossed above, her embroidered white cape billowing behind her in the wind.[16][46]

The final phase of the show comprised fourteen looks inspired by Japanese culture, including several with red and white palettes and some fur coats.[32] The lights went back down and Ai Tominaga appeared in the walkway, clad only in a long, ornately embroidered white kimono worn over briefs and boots.[d][15][32] A strong wind and fake snow roared through the tunnel, blowing the kimono back and exposing her naked chest as she struggled to cross.[15][36] The audience applauded when she reached the end.[27] The lights came back up and the models returned to the runway for their final turn, followed by McQueen all in white.[30][47]

Reception

[edit]
Checked suit from Scanners at Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous

Scanners drew a varied reception from contemporary critics, and retrospectives differ in their assessment of the critical consensus. Author Andrew Wilson reported that the show was well-received, particularly the wind tunnel.[48] Katherine Gleason's book reported that reception was mixed.[36] Karen Homer compared it to the previous season's collection, Irere (Spring/Summer 2003), writing that both were commercially-focused collections that lacked McQueen's typical level of runway showmanship.[49] Sales were reportedly good; a trunk show held at McQueen's New York location following the runway show garnered $1.2 million in orders.[50] One corset-silhouetted coat trimmed with fur became a best-seller.[51]

Reviewers noted the way McQueen played on contrasting ideas. Writing for The Independent, Susannah Frankel called it a "brilliant fusion" of opposing ideas like pop and punk, East versus West, and historicism and futurism.[40] She felt the furs and brocades were romantic, while the checked prints and leathers were appropriate for "rock divas".[40] Hilary Alexander of The Daily Telegraph noted contrasting silhouettes: severely tailored tops paired with soft, loose skirts, for example.[52] Charlie Porter, writing for The Guardian, thought McQueen was refining a recognisable personal silhouette for his designs.[53] Frankel felt that McQueen's imagination came through despite the conventional style of some of the clothing.[54] Some critics identified the use of voluminous styles, black and white prints, and luxury elements as being on-trend for the season.[55][56][57]

Some identified the inspiration as being from other, mostly northern cultures, outside of the three explicitly cited by McQueen. Booth Moore at the Los Angeles Times felt there were unique elements of Elizabethan and Mongolian clothing in the skirts and fur items, respectively.[58] The reviewer from The Australian thought the furs were drawn from Inuit clothing.[59]

Frankel wrote that McQueen had correctly balanced his artistic showpieces with more commercial designs suitable for retail sale.[40] Rod Hagwood felt the designs were as close to haute couture as was possible for ready-to-wear.[35] Alexander thought the collection was intended to demonstrate McQueen's availability for haute couture orders – extremely high-end custom designs with elaborate handiwork. She cited Tominaga's kimono as an example. It was hand-embroidered with an orgy scene from an erotic painting, which had taken fifteen people five weeks of work; it was expected to sell for £150,000.[52]

Critics were impressed with the theatrical elements.[39][59] More than one critic called them "jaw-dropping".[35][58] Others were pleased with the oversized showpieces from the wind tunnel, guessing that they were at least twenty feet long.[52][58][60] Frankel called the use of an orgy scene as decoration for the final kimono a "quintessential McQueen" touch.[54] Judith Watt likened Tominaga's appearance in the wind tunnel to the Winged Victory of Samothrace.[15]

The heavy use of fur was contentious for some reviewers. Porter called it the "one low point" of the show.[53] Frankel criticised the use of fur as seeming "too easy a statement of status and wealth" compared to the more radical designs elsewhere in the collection.[40]

Analysis

[edit]
Kimono with quilted skirt, both from retail collection at Mind, Mythos, Muse

Textile curators Clarissa M. Esguerra and Michaela Hansen identified a clinging bandage dress from the retail collection, which had zippers for side seams, as a reworking of similar styles by Azzedine Alaïa, a designer McQueen admired.[61] They pointed to the tailoring in other items, such as the checked suit from Look 24, as evidence of McQueen's skill at cutting fabric. Each piece of the pattern is cut and arranged deliberately to create curves that flow along the body, creating an optical illusion that seems to sculpt the body.[17]

Esguerra and Hansen felt that the way McQueen borrowed ideas from various cultures in Scanners, based on his own personal fixations, demonstrated that cultural appropriation can in some contexts be "specific and meaningful" while also being "incomplete or decorative".[17] Anna Jackson argued that McQueen's incorporation of elements from Japanese clothing was more "transformative" than similar efforts by other designers, who treated these aesthetics as a novelty.[62]

Legacy

[edit]

Look 33 was photographed for Vogue by Thomas Schenk.[63] Harper's Bazaar named Scanners one of McQueen's most memorable shows, citing the wind tunnel performances.[60] Vogue interviewed several McQueen models for their February 2020 issue. Fohlin recalled her appearances in Scanners positively, saying that McQueen's "shows were always something more than a regular runway; as a model you had more space to perform."[64]

Two items from Scanners appeared in the retrospective exhibit Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty: Look 3, a dress covered with metal sequins, and Look 21, a jute dress heavily embroidered with flowers.[65] The 2022 exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse featured several items from Scanners, primarily from the retail collection, as well as Look 24, a checked suit.[66]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ From 1996 to October 2001, McQueen was simultaneously head designer at Givenchy and his own label.[4][5]
  2. ^ Textile curators Clarissa M. Esguerra and Michaela Hansen note that the collection avoids China, despite its influence on the textile traditions McQueen was drawing on. They suggested he may have chosen to focus on connecting Tibet and Japan aesthetically because of his continuing fascination with Japanese clothing and his personal interest in Buddhism.[17]
  3. ^ Vogue lists fifty-seven looks. Two looks following Look 42, which were visible only briefly in flashes of light, are omitted from the Vogue numbering.[45][32]
  4. ^ Alexander McQueen: Unseen incorrectly names the model as Devon Aoki.[27]

References

[edit]
  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 & Berry 2022, pp. 126, 128, 132.
  3. ^ Bolton 2011, pp. 13–14.
  4. ^ Wilcox 2015, p. 327.
  5. ^ Wilson 2015, p. 255.
  6. ^ Bowles, Hamish (15 July 2010). "Alexander McQueen: Noble farewell". Vogue. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  7. ^ Doig, Stephen (30 January 2023). "How Alexander McQueen changed the world of fashion – by the people who knew him best". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023.
  8. ^ Socha, Miles (4 November 2002). "King McQueen: A mature Alexander McQueen cast aside the shock values (and even the adolescent rants) to produce a dazzling spring collection. (Movers Shakers)". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  9. ^ Mower, Sarah (9 March 2010). "Alexander McQueen Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection". Vogue. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  10. ^ Menkes, Suzy (9 March 2010). "McQueen's mesmerizing finale". The International Herald Tribune. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  11. ^ Frankel, Susannah (16 March 2003). "Gucci's top geezer". The Independent. p. 23. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Alexander McQueen – an introduction". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  13. ^ Borrelli-Persson, Laird (24 December 2018). "Remembering Alexander McQueen's wintry Fall 1999 Overlook show with model Frankie Rayder". Vogue. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  14. ^ Watt 2012, p. 155.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Watt 2012, p. 198.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bethune 2015, p. 314.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Esguerra & Hansen 2022, p. 67.
  18. ^ Jackson 2015, p. 118.
  19. ^ Gleason 2012, p. 10.
  20. ^ Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 13.
  21. ^ Thomas 2015, p. 118.
  22. ^ Bethune 2015, pp. 309, 310, 312.
  23. ^ Socha, Miles (4 November 2002). "King McQueen: A mature Alexander McQueen cast aside the shock values (and even the adolescent rants) to produce a dazzling spring collection. (Movers Shakers)". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  24. ^ Mower, Sarah (4 October 2002). "Alexander McQueen Spring 2003 ready-to-wear collection". Vogue. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  25. ^ Alexander, Hilary (7 October 2002). "Flamboyant McQueen dazzles the city of light". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via Gale.
  26. ^ a b Fox 2012, p. 88.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 144.
  28. ^ a b Weisman, Katherine (11 March 2003). "Fantasy meets reality in designers' ready-to-wear collections". The Boston Globe. p. 58. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  29. ^ a b c d e f Gleason 2012, p. 107.
  30. ^ a b c d e f Watt 2012, p. 200.
  31. ^ a b Homer 2023, p. 89.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h Mower, Sarah (7 March 2003). "Alexander McQueen Fall 2003 Ready-to-Wear Collection". Vogue. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  33. ^ a b Watt 2012, pp. 198–199.
  34. ^ Gleason 2012, p. 108.
  35. ^ a b c Hagwood, Rod Stafford (13 March 2003). "Lost in space". South Florida Sun Sentinel. p. 72. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  36. ^ a b c Gleason 2012, p. 109.
  37. ^ Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 343.
  38. ^ Craik, Laura (13 March 2003). "Fashion". Evening Standard. p. 20. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  39. ^ a b c Beker, Jeanne (18 March 2003). "Leggings? I prefer to call them 'mittens for the legs'". National Post. p. 22. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  40. ^ a b c d e Frankel, Susannah (10 March 2003). "McQueen presents a disturbing, poetic image combining East and West, opera and punk". The Independent. p. 6. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  41. ^ a b Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 341.
  42. ^ "Interview: Joseph Bennett on Lee McQueen". SHOWstudio. 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Day 1: Joseph Bennett". SHOWstudio. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  44. ^ Fairer & Wilcox 2016, p. 345.
  45. ^ Alexander McQueen 2012, 8:51.
  46. ^ Alexander McQueen 2012, 8:27–8:56.
  47. ^ Alexander McQueen 2012, 12:18.
  48. ^ Wilson 2015, p. 280.
  49. ^ Homer 2023, p. 88.
  50. ^ Watt 2012, p. 205.
  51. ^ Fox 2012, pp. 90–91.
  52. ^ a b c Alexander, Hilary (10 March 2003). "What to wear as you fight through wind and snow". The Daily Telegraph. p. 6. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  53. ^ a b Porter, Charlie (10 March 2003). "British designers prove a hit in Paris". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  54. ^ a b Frankel, Susannah (13 March 2003). "Belles de jour". The Independent. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  55. ^ Luther, Marylou (17 March 2003). "Paris fashion world is en garde". Newsday. pp. B15. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  56. ^ Alexander, Hilary (14 March 2003). "Paris Fashion Week: Pump up the volume". The Daily Telegraph. p. 24. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  57. ^ Horyn, Cathy (23 March 2003). "Fashion tries to smile on the outside". The Anniston Star. p. 40. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  58. ^ a b c Moore, Booth (10 March 2003). "Melodrama on the runway". Los Angeles Times. p. 50. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  59. ^ a b "Cultures clash on paris catwalk". The Australian. 10 March 2003. p. 5. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  60. ^ a b "Alexander McQueen's most memorable collections". Harper's Bazaar. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  61. ^ Esguerra & Hansen 2022, p. 91.
  62. ^ Jackson 2015, p. 117.
  63. ^ Fox 2012, pp. 88, 159.
  64. ^ Phelps, Nicole; Borrelli-Persson, Laird (11 February 2020). "Alexander McQueen: Remembered by the models who walked in his earliest shows". Vogue. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  65. ^ Bolton 2011, pp. 233.
  66. ^ Esguerra & Hansen 2022, p. 170.

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scanners.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scanners_(Alexander_McQueen_collection)&oldid=1276612434"