alexander mcqueen
Spring 2008 Alexander McQueen Iconic Strapless Silk Chiffon Butterfly Rainbow Dress w Belt
This dress is instantly recognizable as an Alexander McQueen piece. While there are pieces out there that only die-hard collectors would know at first glance, this is one of the dresses that has entered the mid of the general public na have become a pop culture icon. The spring 2008 collection was called 'La Dame Bleue' and was a tribute to his mentor and friend Isabella Blow who had committed suicide on May of 2007 after a long bout of illness. His statement of the show was this; 'Isabella flew. The collection is exuberant and excessive. It's about her way of thinking and that way of thinking brought light into fashion. Even when she was down she was up with what she wore. I had the best times with Isabella. I remember going to Mauritius with her and I'd come back from scuba diving and it would be 100 degrees and she'd be standing on the beach head to toxin McQueen with a Philip Treacy Hat on. Or we'd be sitting around the pool and she'd still be head to toe in McQueen with a Philip Treacy hat on. I've though a lot about why she would wear things like that and she wore them because it made her feel like a diva. She was a diva in what she wore. She pulled it off. I never blinked at what she wore. It just seemed normal. So this was a collection about Isabella ad about wearing clothes that transform you." The entire show was a beautiful testament to someone he loved dearly and the series of rainbow butterfly dresses were an immediate hit world wide and have become some of his best known works. This was the fifth last collection of his career and these last collections are considered to be some of his most brilliant.
On the runway this dress was shown with a feathered shoulder harness over it. It was endlessly documented at the time as everyone was drawn to its joyful exuberance and coloir. We found references of it from four different Vogues issues from different countries. In 2015, FKA Twigs wore the full runway version to the Savage Beauty exhibit opening gala to great acclaim. This dress sold out world wide when it was produced and there are very few out there. This is a rare opportunity to own an important piece of fashion history. The dress itself is a piece of art. It is strapless with a built in inner dress that has built in cups and a sheer nude inner mini dress. This inner corseted garment is attached and made from a combination of nude stretch lingerie jersey and nude silk chiffon. Over this are four panels of the rainbow printed butterfly pattern on a feather light silk chiffon. These are attached and draped around and over the top of the bodice and then swoop down from there is four sections. Each sections is miles long and ends in a point. When you have this one and walk in it the front panels swoop back and trail behind you like some fantastical fairy costume and you seem to float rather than merely walk. The bodice is curved to a modified sweetheart and I love how there was no expense spared into amount of silk chiffon used. You can see how it is heavily gathered at the front on particular. My client also bought the optional belt at the time that was shown on other runway pieces in the collection. Having this with the dress not only adds to the variation in how you can wear it, but it also adds another important bit of history and provenance to the dress as it is very rare to find the belt with one of these. The colours in the dress are spectacular and cover the full spectrum of the rainbow. To see it in person and how it moves is literally like looking at a moving three dimensional piece of art. This is a very rare opportunity to own one of his most recognizable dresses and the FKA Twigs association adds another dimension of modern culture to it as well. Excellent condition with a minor note below.
The inner dress has built in cups and light boning. Over this is a nude silk chiffon that falls to the top of the thighs. The inner corset closes with its own zipper and then the nude silk chiffon inner dress zips to close over that. It is tagged a McQueen size 42 but my client had it expanded at the back. These were sold out worldwide and this was the only one she was given the option to buy. I have photoed the triangle inset that was added to the back on the layers. The work is very well done and would be easy to reverse if you wished to do so. The bit of extra fabric from the exterior layer was stolen off the very end of one point. It as worn once for an hour and has not been worn since and is pristine. The belt snaps to close and is tagged a McQueen 44. There is a minor surface scuff on the belt.
Bust: to 17" flat across from side seam to side seam with an approx B-C cup
Waist: the inner will stretch out to 18" flat across from side seam to side seam
Inner hips: to 24" flat across from side seam to side seam
Length: the shortest parts of the panels where they connect is approx 47" from the bodice and the longest parts extend down from the bodice to approx 86" to the ends of the points on each panel.
Belt: Adjustable from 29.5" - 33.5"
Modern Sizing Equivalent: SML-MED
Item# DD3560
Reference Photos: (1-3) Viviane Orth for Alexander McQueen Spring 2008 Runway Collection. / (4) Daria Werbowy in Alexander McQueen by Mario Testino for British Vogue, March 2008. / (5) Daria Werbowy in Alexander McQueen by Terry Richardson for Vogue Nippon, February 2008. / (6) Chanel Iman in Alexander McQueen by KT Auleta for Vogue Russia, February 2008. / (7) Luca Gadjus in Alexander McQueen by Vincent Peters for Vogue Germany, April 2008. / (8-10) FKA Twigs at the Savage Beauty Gala, 2015. / (11) Credit Unknown.
This garment has been professionally cleaned, pressed and is odor free. Thoroughly checked over before shipping, it will be ready to wear upon arrival.
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