Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2027

Seán McGirr brought Alexander McQueen back to London for Spring/Summer 2027, attempting to reconcile the house’s history with a distinctly contemporary idea of the city. Piero della Francesca’s The Baptism of Christ provided the collection’s serene, almost religious starting point, while London’s rave culture supplied its harder counterpoint. The tension is compelling on paper, although the collection is at its strongest when those references are allowed to become clothes rather than simply sit beside one another.

The most successful pieces find that balance through fabrication and proportion. Diaphanous silk dresses, hand-pleated georgette and sheer organza are pulled back to earth with leather harnesses, while elongated tailoring developed with Huntsman gives the collection a sharper British backbone. The exaggerated “angel wing” sleeves are an ambitious idea, but some of the sculptural shapes feel more conceptual than convincing. Elsewhere, the narrow suits and off-centre smoking jacket demonstrate a more controlled understanding of what McGirr can do with the McQueen silhouette.

Shaun Leane’s return adds another necessary layer of tension. His metallic jewellery, silver leaf embellishments and recycled-silver harnesses give the softer clothes an edge, particularly when the metalwork becomes integrated into the garments rather than functioning as decoration. There is an appealing friction between fragility and aggression throughout the collection, though some of the rave references — particularly the faded tie-dyes and neon tones — feel more familiar than revelatory.

Ultimately, SS27 feels like McGirr moving closer to an identifiable McQueen vocabulary of his own. It does not attempt to recreate Lee Alexander McQueen, which is important, but neither does it completely abandon the house’s appetite for drama, craft and contradiction. The strongest looks suggest that McGirr understands the balance required: not simply making clothes that reference London or McQueen, but finding ways for those influences to materially shape the silhouette.