Alexander McQueen pitches Victorian Gothic for Fall 2008

After the ethereally glamorous and softly romantic look of Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2008 collection, one might be forgiven for thinking the designer had lost his edge, and not in a bad way, mind you, but the rebel yell had become more of a whisper than a shout. No matter, since McQueen has returned to his old ways for Fall 2008 with a collection that screams “Victorian Gothic”. It’s in the button-down boots, and the riding-habit jackets with their high-collared blouses tied at the neck, and the preference for black. The usual flash of plaid, de riguer in a McQueen collection, shows up as a close-cut riding coat with a fuzzy black-on-white stripe. Some of the silhouettes are skintight and form-fitting, others belling out in skirts reminiscent of Victorian ballet dancers. Black segues into regal red, white and bejewelled blue, ending with a spectacular red taffeta coat fit for Queen Victoria, or maybe Josephine Bonaparte. There are echoes of last year’s Fall in the reds, blues and golds, now cleanly offset by white tulle rather than solid black, with a look that harks back to Byzantium or Tsarist Russia. McQueen’s nod to the latest trends is evident by his inclusion of such details as soft-looking knits, a snood, skinny leg pants and a coat belted neatly at the waist.