Thursday, February 14, 2013

If there's a cure for this

I don't want it.

Ah, the lingering effects of Alexander McQueen.

How long has it been now since the Savage Beauty show at the Met? Doesn't matter, I'm still feeling it.

Andrea and I went to that show together, and anyone who has seen the two of us together - or even Andrea alone - knows how rare it is for there to be silence.


But silence there was after the McQueen show, all the way back down 5th Avenue to Penn Station, we barely talked, our minds still spinning with what we had just seen.

There were hardly any pieces in the show that didn't stop me in my tracks, but for some reason the tartans, part of his Widows of Culloden collection, really did me in.

Wonder what it could be?  Painstaking plaid matching?  Ruffles, beads, sequins, tulle, petticoats, bustles, drapery and attitude?

I guess it would be more appropriate to say how could that portion of the show not have gotten to me?

Ever since then, there's been a dress percolating in the back of my mind that has elements of several of these pieces.
The bits I like best:  the first dress in the photo at the top, and the third here on the left - the sharp V down the front of the plaid, the lace appliqued at the hem.

The modified sweetheart necklines on several of the dresses, although I don't have it in me to even try to duplicate the gorgeous dark red beading and embroidery of the dress with the sheer sleeves below on the right and center.

For the dress with the actual tartan drape, I love the attitude, the belt and the tulle peeking out from underneath.  And the boots.  But I'm trying not to think about shoes here; I'm thinking about tartan. Or at least I'm trying to.

The next dress on the hit list here is the second sweetheart neckline, shown at the front in the very last photo.

On that one I don't like the plaid as much - I prefer the sharper points down the front of the first dress - but I love the black beaded lace around the neckline and the bust and the curves of it over the hips.  I also like the discreet tulle ruffle at the neckline, wrists and hem.

It also helps that I have about 5 yards of ivory cotton tulle that I scored at Metro Textiles during last year's NY PR Weekend.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but it was beautiful, it was soft, and it was in the remnant bin.  I split it with Claudine, who I believe has used some if it already.







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