JOURNAL

Words by Farshogar Vazifdar
Dec 23, 2022

On 6th October 2009, Alexander Mcqueen staged one of his most iconic shows at Paris Fashion Week. This show was split critiques, with many reviewers describing it as both grotesque and beautiful in the same breath! But it will forever be remembered as one of the most momentous shows in fashion history.

Why is this show so iconic?

It was the first fashion show (ever) to be livestreamed over the internet!

Lady Gaga tweeted that she would be premiering ‘Bad Romance’ at the end of the show (inevitably crashing the livestream with her millions of fans)

A few months later McQueen died by suicide marking this show as his last show ever.

The story

Inspired by the legend of the mythical island of Atlantis that met its inevitable end in the ocean, McQueen wondered how humans that sank with the land would evolve anatomically when they lived underwater.

McQueen also raises questions about climate change with the collection, asking how society and its structures would transform if ocean levels were ever to rise and flood cities.

The story

The stage featured two bionic arms with cameras on their end, along a ramp that stretched the length of the stage. The cameras were spun and rotated by the arms, mimicking the motion of excavation submarines floating deep under the water.

Looks

The collection featured 45 looks with reptile-patterned, digitally printed dresses that modified the sillhouette of the model giving the illusion that humans evolved fins and scales as they lived underwater after the inevitable ecological disaster.

The collection featured 45 looks with reptile-patterned, digitally printed dresses that modified the sillhouette of the model giving the illusion that humans evolved fins and scales as they lived underwater after the inevitable ecological disaster.

Reptilian prints with recycled plastic appliques

Acrylic embellished mimicking corals

Layered fabrics imitating waves

Holographic paillettes evoking scales

Shoes

The Armadillo Heel
(don’t worry, the model’s feet were supported - sort of!)

The Alien Shoe
Inspired, quite literally, 
by H. R. Giger’s art for Ridley Scott’s film Alien

The Titanic Heel
A steampunk leather and iron design

Hair

Dramatic braids that change the shape of the head

Fin-like hair pieces growing 2 feet over the model’s head

Facial prosthetics that depict skeletal evolution in humans

NO EYEBROWS!?
Would we really need them if we were living underwater?

Alexander McQueen revolutionised the fashion industry with his daring designs and innovative techniques. 
It’s unfortunate that he left us as early as he did. One often wonders where the industry would be today if he were stilll alive.

Farshogar is a Multidisciplinary Designer at TOD. He maintains an archive of all the major happenings in the world of fashion, and his outlook on the industry is driven by a singular mantra - 'There are no ugly garments'.

A note about the Journal

For us at Thought Over Design ‘Creativity’ isn’t an end product. It’s an ongoing journey of inspiration that comes from fresh observations of the world, headlong dives into curious obsessions, explorations of art and culture, listening to diverse voices, and a million more places we’re still discovering.

The Journal is an experiment in sharing these musings with the world. It’s a mixed bag of scribbles from our research, inspiration sessions, lateral think pieces, work from designers we admire, pop-culture takes and often our own agenda-free creative pursuits.

The stories and ideas we share here are an attempt to not just gather our own thoughts but also leave the world a little more inspired than we found it.