Sarah Burton Is Donating Alexander McQueen’s Unused Archive To Design Students

Alexander McQueen’s creative director Sarah Burton is donating hundreds of feet of unused fabric to fashion design students across the UK to use in their graduate collections. The archive of McQueen fabrics includes the iconic chiffon, tweed, and silks that both Burton and McQueen used in fabricating the hundreds of collections throughout the brand’s 28-year history.

Not only is the donation a chance for students to be part of a historic legacy, it’s also a massive financial gift. Besides college tuition and student housing, design students must also spend tens of thousands of dollars on materials themselves. Burton herself attended Central Saint Martins in London while she began working as an intern under the late Lee Alexander McQueen. “I was so lucky because when I first worked at McQueen, Lee helped me source fabrics for my final collection,” Burton told Vogue.  “It’s even harder today, at a time when we all feel precious resources must be properly used.”

This kind of waste-not mentality is part of McQueen’s DNA. In the 24 years Burton has been with McQueen, she’s never seen a single bolt of fabric be thrown away. “The ethos at Alexander McQueen means that everything we use in researching and designing collections has always been archived and stored,” Burton said in a press release. Thanks to Burton, 14 universities across Wales, England, and Scotland have already gained access to McQueen’s unused materials. One University of Westminster design student, Steven Stokey-Daley, has already utilized the archive for his final project, which includes a raglan trench coat in tattersall check, a fabric that the brand previously used to create a now sold-out rose-embellished men’s button-down. “You go into studying fashion fantasizing about making your final collection, but you have no idea what it’s going to cost,” Stokey-Daley told Vogue. Before the donation, he calculated that his show could cost him up to 15,000 GBP (roughly $19,500).

In addition to providing a financial cushion, the McQueen donation will also reduce the environmental impact of producing clothing.

Reports from 2018 documented that British fashion house Burberry frequently burns their leftover stock (over $100 million worth) to preserve the exclusivity of its products. The brand has since called it quits on this practice, with creative director Riccardo Tisci leading a large-scale push toward sustainability. Burberry is hardly alone; it’s often more cost-efficient to discard unused fabric than to recycle it. A Pulse Of The Fashion Industry report from 2018 showed that the industry roughly generates 4% of the world’s waste each year. Attempts to offset and neutralize these figures range from large-scale efforts to small but creative gestures: Gucci announced the launch of the CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge in November, and indie brands like Eckhaus Latta have utilized secondhand footwear for shows to show their commitment to sustainability. 

In donating leftover fabrics, Alexander McQueen provides another small way for brands to shift towards a more sustainable future. By paying it forward, McQueen is helping a new generation of designers get a leg up, built on the successes of the past.

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Kendall, Irina & An All-Star Cast Steal The Show At Burberry

London Fashion Week fall ’20 drew to a close last night with Burberry’s blockbuster show and there was an electric atmosphere as the great and the good of the fashion, music, and film industries (think Hunter Schafer, Naomi Campbell, and FKA twigs) took their seats in the front row at the glittering event.

Burberry is always the most anticipated show of the season, but this time around saw a change in tempo for creative director Riccardo Tisci. Arguably his strongest collection for the brand thus far, it feels as though the designer has settled into his new home, allowing his creative vision to be fully realized. 

Firstly, the outerwear: Burberry is known and loved for its classic trench coat, which was treated to a refresh in several ways this season with ‘70s shearling trim (very Penny Lane), with contrasting black and white lapels, and in supersize check with Peter Pan collars that felt less heritage and more experimental. It was even given the Frankenstein hybrid treatment when fused with a puffer jacket. 

Away from the trench style, boxy beige cropped jackets felt the most contemporary, while the oil-slick, high-shine vinyl will be a sellout and the quilted form-fitting jackets will appeal to the brand’s more conservative customer. Elsewhere, rugby stripes were given a fresh new spin in egg-yolk yellow and candyfloss pink across shirts and dresses, while cricket jumpers were layered over sequined floor-skimming gowns. We also have a soft spot for a standout olive-green trouser suit, which was paired with a white and rust-colored shirt.

Sibling pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque provided the music, their synchronized crescendos matching the collection’s pulsing energy. An all-star cast of models walked the show, too, from Bella and Gigi Hadid to Joan Smalls, Kendall Jenner, and Irina Shayk. Burberry also debuted the latest installment of its B Series handbags at the show. The Robin, a small black structured bag in Italian-tanned leather, complete with Tisci’s now-cult gold Thomas Burberry Monogram clasp, enjoyed its first outing on the fall ’20 catwalk last night, though hints of the cross-body bag were dropped on the house’s social media platforms yesterday morning. 

Riccardo Tisci’s fall ’20 collection — his fourth for the luxury British giant — proved that while his vision is far removed from that of his predecessor, Christopher Bailey, his ability to imbue the brand with sexiness, streetwear, and innovation is taking it to stratospheric new heights.

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Tulle & Teen Spirit At Molly Goddard’s London Fashion Week Show

Frothy party frocks aside, there’s another reason showgoers look forward to Molly Goddard’s spot on the London Fashion Week schedule: She’s known for hosting the occasional feast (see the banquet from fall ’17). And for ‘fall 20, she provided the holy trifecta: wine, bread, and lashings of salted butter.

While the much-needed sustenance gave editors and influencers alike some respite from Storm Dennis, the collection itself was as much of a treat. Tulle gowns deserving of their own walk-in wardrobe were of course featured, this season in cheery daffodil yellow and punchy pillar-box red. But it was the playful move into a grungier aesthetic that stood out most.

Kurt Cobain-esque red and black knits were layered over foaming tiered skirts and paired with two-inch high creepers, while models were given greasy bangs that covered one eye to amp up the teen-spirit feel. Lindsey Wixson also starred in the show, wearing a punchy blue froufrou dress over a coral knit (complete with a supersized bow). After announcing her retirement at the age of 23 in 2017, we’re more than happy that the American model is walking her way back into our lives.

Goddard also used her fall ’20 collection to launch menswear, although it was unisex insofar as we’d wear every single piece. From zingy checked suiting and Peter Pan-collared coats to Fair Isle cardigans over crisp white shirts, whether we steal it from our boyfriends or invest in it ourselves, the pieces felt like a natural extension of the designer’s signature aesthetic.

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This Is Secretly The Most Versatile Item In Your Closet

When an individual is blessed with the combined abilities to act, sing, and move their body in a rhythmic way, we call them a triple threat. So when an item of clothing can break out of its assigned genre to become a styling all-star — functioning multiple ways in a range of contexts — what do we call that? In this case, a bralette.

You might know it as the lingerie-bridge between home and outside, but the bralette is so much more than a one-hit wonder — especially PINK’s versions, which come in an on-trend color palette, with customizable features like adjustable shoulder and back straps and removable padding. Versatility recognizes versatility, so here, we’ve put together three strong fits that showcase exactly how far the stealth MVP of the intimates world can go. And in the industry, that’s what we call range.

The Breakout Star, By Itself

We’re starting out strong with a nighttime ensemble you can build up to — or down, rather. A standalone-worthy, ribcage-covering silhouette makes this smocked bralette work as Real Clothing, while the tone-on-tone pairing with burnt orange palazzo pants creates a cohesive color story. (Pro tip: The adjustable-strap bralette comes in loads of shades, so finding one that suits you and your preferred trouser situation won’t be an issue. Bonus points if you swap out the voluminous pant for a ball skirt, too.) Evening dressing really can be as simple as letting your innerwear have a big night out — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The Consummate Problem-Solver, Under A Sheer Bodysuit

A sheer, Swiss-dot bodysuit presents as much opportunity as it does bafflement: What do you even wear underneath? The optimal solution is a longline crochet lace bralette. For one, it doesn’t obstruct so much as add to the overall effect with its open-weave composition and double adjustable straps that meet in a crisscross at the back (that’s texture and visual interest handily taken care of). For another, a monochromatic upper half allows for even more fun elsewhere, i.e. acid-wash denim and a fuchsia point-toe pump, which, altogether, make for a going-out look that’s so much more than a nice top and jeans.

The Ideal Companion To A Denim Shirtdress

To (very loosely) paraphrase our model Vanessa when she put this denim shirtdress look on, “I feel like a baddie who’s known for causing seismic shifts in fashion whenever she goes outside wearing clothes.” And why shouldn’t she? A pretty light blue lace halter isn’t just for support and coverage (though it does do both very well) — it’s a bona fide layering piece that, in tandem with a full row of buttons, encourages play. Finesse the collar for an off-the-shoulder, asymmetrical, or deep-V neckline to show off a floral strap — or more, if you, too, are in a fashion-baddie mood. Style is all about options, and with this dynamic duo, your outfit can act as an up-to-the-minute barometer of your mood.  

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