BEAUTY: Clothing--Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen just showed his amazingly odd and subtle F-W '10-'11 collection at Milan Fashion Week. Called AN BAILITHEOIR CNÁMH, which means THE BONE COLLECTOR in Gaelic, and inspired by seafaring cultures that live near the Arctic Circle, the collection features trompe l'oeil prints of chain mail, rugged cable knit Aran Isle-type sweaters, fur, ice and water droplets evenly covering jackets, shirts, ties, stirrup pants, bags, gloves, and shoes in a hypnotizing monochrome. Materials include mohair, leather and PVC. Face coverings also featured prominently and were either a total head-covering balaclava or something smaller, closer to a surgical mask (making me think of the black leather surgical masks from the current F-W Odyn Vovk collection). The walls, pillars and floor of the runway were papered in a repeating tight pattern of skulls and bones.

View the runway show here:
http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/int/en/corporate/archive2010_aw_mensfilm.aspx