It cannot have been easy for Sarah Burton these past few months. In addition to coming to terms with the suicide of her boss and mentor and completing alone the half-finished Autumn/Winter 2010-11 collection he left behind, she assumed the role of creative director of the Alexander McQueen brand. It is now upon her petite frame that rests the responsibility of carrying on his legacy. An unenviable task if ever there was one.
I do not personally know and have never met Ms. Burton. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I had never even heard of her until the death of Mr. McQueen. But I feel for her all the same. It takes a brave soul to take up that challenge given all the potential pitfalls. Stay too close to McQueen's aesthetic and she'll be accused of riding his coattails. Stray too far and she'll be accused of betraying his legacy (and potentially alienating customers).
Her first foray into womenswear (Resort 2011) holds no surprises. The strict tailoring, the color palette, the structure and the print (see the evening gown pictured above) are all variations on themes we've come to know over past seasons. It is a respectful rendition of her late mentor's aesthetic designed probably to reassure the brand's clients (and the executives at Gucci Group). The pieces look beautiful. All in all, I agree with WWD's assessment that this is a promising start. I hope however that she will gradually step out of her late mentor's considerable shadow and come into her own as a designer. I hope the industry (starting with Gucci Group) will let her. In the meantime, take a bow Ms. Burton. Anyone who has been what you've been through in the past six months deserves at least that.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
* Images courtesy of Fashionologie.
From these few pics at least, it looks like Sarah Burton may do for McQ what Frida has done for Gucci. The latter channelled femininity and accessibility to Tom Ford's formula of sex and glamour.
McQ's fierce femme/glamazon may get fleshed out with a more real-woman approach...we wait and see.
Posted by: willowblue | Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 14:45