Alexander McQueen’s ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ as a transitory space
Alexander McQueen’s 2002 collection, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, signifies a shift in the designer’s creative direction, offering an in-between space within which McQueen explored worlds of whimsy, transitioning away from darker themes expressed through previous works.
Black silk cloak featured in the 2002 collection
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious features gauzy, diaphanous skirts, sturdy jackets accented occasionally with a buckle or leather panel, and quixotic headpieces. Characterized by an element of fantasy which can be traced throughout McQueen’s work, the collection was inspired by Tim Burton,‘start[ing] off dark and then gett[ing] more romantic as it went along’(Alexander McQueen, Numéro, July/August 2002), billowy, expansive silk capes giving way to embroidered bodices, a clear departure from the religious motifs of collections past in favor of softer themes and airier fabrics.
The Autumn/Winter 1998 Joan, for instance, featured a primarily red, black, and silver color palette in keeping with McQueen’s enduring fascination with religious iconography and the martyrdom of French Catholic saint Joan of Arc, who was famously burned at the stake after being accused of heresy. Joan is bold in its use of texture (raffia, snakeskin, chain mail) and decidedly theatrical: the runway show’s finale features model Erin O’Connor in a beaded red dress and facial covering, surrounded by indignant flames. McQueen’s tactical use of texture and strong color softened by delicate beadwork belies the true violence of Joan, which continued the designer’s preoccupation with death and warfare.
Joan, 1998
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious then, is significant not only in its departure from darker motifs, but also in its ready embrace of play: ‘life to me is a bit of a [Brothers] Grimm fairytale,’ McQueen said of the collection.
Later works, such as those of the Spring 2005 Ready-to-Wear line are similarly romantic; full skirts, delicate corsets, lace trim, abundant pinks and pastels. Though the source of inspiration had invariably changed, no longer derived from scenes of brutality and subjection (Highland Rape) or the church (Joan), each piece in Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious articulates through cap sleeves, politely flowing hems, and tidily constructed garments McQueen’s deep reverence for fantasy. The collection, then, is distinct in that it allowed McQueen to move away from structure and rigidity toward something more permissive, something with levity and motion, while retaining that same mythical quality which is ubiquitous throughout his oeuvre.
