For its Fall/Winter 2025 campaign, Alexander McQueen reaches deep into the 19th century, weaving a rich tapestry of Victorian Gothic – a fusion of restraint and fervent self-expression. The campaign draws on the spirits of iconoclasts Oscar Wilde, Vesta Tilley, and Romaine Brooks, serving as muses for the house’s evocative new narrative.

Visions of Defiance and Identity

Creative Director Seán McGirr frames the collection as a “visceral evocation of liberation and expression,” anchored in what he calls “the uncompromising self-expression of independent thinkers.” He speaks of “the tension between tradition and transgression,” asserting that their “spirit of progressivism feels pertinent now,” especially amid today’s reflections on identity, idealism, and gender.

The campaign, helmed by photographer Glen Luchford, unfolds in spectral light, where silk georgette, raw-edged lace, precision tailoring, and glossy leather ripple into ecstatic abandon. “Individually, bodies arch, twist, writhe,” the evocative prose continues. “Together, they are bound by a wordless force, compelled by instinct and feeling”.

Dialogues with the Past

McGirr continues a dialogue with McQueen’s legacy, echoing past references to Oscar Wilde. In earlier collections, Wilde’s resonance emerged boldly – as in the 1891 epigram:

“‘Know thyself’ was written over the portal of the antique world. Over the portal of the new world, ‘Be thyself’ shall be written.”
This quote appeared in his show notes and set the philosophical tone of the collection W Magazine.

Moreover, the designer channels the essence of the modern dandy, stating he thought about “the idea of the modern dandy, and especially of Oscar Wilde,” a legacy he’d long known from his Dublin adolescence.

Architectural Drama and Tailored Elegance

The runway itself played out as a gothic theatre choreographed by architecture – models glided through a mirrored hall into a Dickens-coded corridor lined with towering wooden cabinets, exuding Victorian gravitas. The silhouettes emphasized pinched shoulders, proud collars, and narrow waists refined yet dramatic nods to tailoring heritage.

Backstage reviews reinforce the drama of the aesthetic: high, book-pleated collars often veiled the models’ faces, and wool tailoring shaped sharp, sculptural profiles – an homage to British sartorial tradition.

Romantic Undertones in the Gothic Frame

Despite the gothic severity, McGirr’s design speaks to a tender, romantic sensibility. Flowing gowns in water-colour hues like peppermint, lilac, and ivory mingle with bursts of Cardinal scarlet – sometimes layered like an open wound, a poetic counterpoint to the tailoring’s severity.

Heritage in Motion

Under McGirr’s stewardship, McQueen sustains its legacy of tension and theatricality. Vogue Business notes his firm belief that “McQueen is all about tensions – between attraction and repulsion, refinement and brutality,” a spirited dedication that echoes the House’s DNA.

The Guardian observed that his third Paris Fashion Week outing – meant to evoke Dickensian London’s nocturnal essays – exhibited confident craftsmanship, especially in mourning architecture and dandy-infused tailoring, all while responding to the commercial urgency of today’s fashion climate.

Why It Endures

This campaign transcends the bounds of costume – it is couture as character, garment as narrative. It resonates not just because of its dramatic strokes, but through its layers of meaning: individuality, heritage, theatricality, and rebellion converge in each tailored seam and billowing fold.

Written by Ricky Franklin