What A Merry-Go-Round

What A Merry-Go-Round is the eighteenth collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, made for the Autumn/Winter 2001 season of his eponymous fashion house.^[1]

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was known for his imaginative, sometimes controversial designs, and dramatic fashion shows.^[2][3] During his nearly twenty-year career, he explored a broad range of ideas and themes, including historicism, romanticism, femininity, sexuality, and death.^[4][2][3] McQueen began his career in fashion as an apprentice with Savile Row tailors, which earned him a reputation as an expert tailor.^[5][6][7]

From 1996 to October 2001, McQueen was  – in addition to his responsibilities for his own label – head designer at French fashion house Givenchy, owned by conglomerate LVMH.^[8][9][10] His time there was fraught, primarily because of creative differences between him, the label, and the management at LVMH.^[11][12] In December 2000, before his Givenchy contract had finished, McQueen signed a deal with Gucci, an Italian fashion house and rival to Givenchy, effectively daring LVMH to fire him.^[a][14] Gucci bought 51 per cent of McQueen's company with McQueen remaining its creative director.^[15] What A Merry-Go-Round was the last collection McQueen produced for his own label while with Givenchy.^[16]

McQueen's career roughly paralleled that of fellow British designer John Galliano, who preceded him in the industry by about a decade.^[17][18][19] The men had each graduated from Central Saint Martins art school in London: Galliano in 1984 and McQueen in 1992.^[20][21][22] Both had started their careers as independent designers before being hired by famous French fashion houses in the mid-1990s; McQueen had replaced Galliano at Givenchy when Galliano went to Dior.^[21][23][24] Their designs and shows were similarly creative and theatrical.^[25][26] During the period in which their careers overlapped, fashion journalists compared and contrasted their work and career choices, and they have sometimes been referred to as rivals.^[26][27][28] McQueen, who had a competitive streak, resented being compared to Galliano and often sought to emulate or outdo Galliano's ideas in his own work.^[29][30]

What A Merry-Go-Round (Autumn/Winter 2001) is the eighteenth collection McQueen made for his eponymous fashion house.^[1] It was inspired by the dark underside of clowns, carnivals, and circuses, as well as the Child Catcher villain from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).^[31][32] McQueen explicitly drew on fear of clowns in describing his inspirations: "We show children clowns as if they are funny. They're not. They’re really scary."^[33] Additional inspiration came from the German silent vampire film Nosferatu (1922) and the cabaret shows of Weimar Germany, by way of the film Cabaret (1972).^[34][35] McQueen also drew on his own experiences: "There were a lot of metaphors for my life in that show. Some of it is fun and some is dark and sinister."^[36]

The color palette was dark, with early looks in neutral colors, and muted greens throughout.^[37] Skulls were a repeat motif.^[38][39] Primary fabrics included leather and jersey.^[37][38] Peacock and ostrich feathers appeared as embellishments.^[37] Many items were influenced by the clothing worn by flappers of the 1920s and the fashion of the 1930s.^[34] Military chic appeared in the form of tailored items resembling uniforms, and a headpiece of antique-looking airplanes.^[39] There were aesthetic elements associated with the French Revolution, including large greatcoats and gold braid.^[34]

The runway show was staged on 21 February 2001, at the Gatliff Road Warehouse in London.^[1] It was the last of six shows McQueen held there, and the last show he staged in his home city of London.^[31][40] All his future womenswear collections were staged in Paris.^[16][41] The invitations were red, white, and blue, echoing the tricoloured flag of France.^[34] Notable audience members included Kate Moss, Bianca Jagger, and Domenico de Sole, then-CEO of Gucci.^[35]

McQueen typically worked with a consistent creative team for his shows, which he planned with Katy England, his assistant and primary stylist.^[42] Gainsbury & Whiting were responsible for production.^[1] Joseph Bennett, who had designed all of McQueen's runways since No. 13 (Spring/Summer 1999), returned for set design.^[43][44] Hair was styled by Guido Palau, makeup by Val Garland.^[1] Philip Treacy created headpieces, while Shaun Leane was responsible for jewellery.^[1] Both men were longtime collaborators of McQueen's.^[45] Waterford Crystal produced a walking stick made from crystal and bone.^[1]

The centrepiece of the stage was a large antique carousel, the horses covered in black, purple, and lavender latex.^[35][36] The floor was painted in a spiral of grey and blue. Lighting was dim.^[35] At the rear, the stage was piled with bric-à-brac suggesting an old-fashioned child's nursery, including stuffed toys, puppets, balloons, and a skeleton, all covered in dust.^[33] These items were in darkness for much of the show, revealed only for the finale.^[38][46]

The show opened with an audio clip of the Child Catcher in which he attempts to lure children with treats so he can capture them.^[36] The rest of the backing music featured the theme song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, selections from the soundtrack of horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968), heavy metal music, and, for the finale, "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins (1964).^[35][36][47]

Models were styled with stark white face makeup as a base, reminiscent of Pierrot, a sad clown stock character out of pantomime theatre.^[34] In the main section of the show, the models wore dark lips in a style reminiscent of the 1930s and loose hair styled in Marcel waves.^[35][36] In the finale, they wore dark clown makeup and wigs teased into shapes, including some three-pointed styles.^[34][36]

Sixty-two looks were presented in the main runway show, with at least six more in the finale.^[b][38] Models walked around the carousel, some using its poles to twirl around.^[37] Look 34, a black dress, was styled with a gold fox skeleton draped over the model's shoulders as a stole, which author Kristin Knox called an example of McQueen's "remanipulation of the macabre into a thing of true exquisite beauty".^[49][50] Look 35 was a coat with a high, asymmetrical collar and Chinese-inspired embroidery in light green.^[37][32] Look 37 featured a necklace of Tahitian pearls and pheasant claws made by jeweller Shaun Leane. The long strands of pearls suggested 1920s fashion, while the mass of claws deceptively resembled fur and suggested morbidity.^[38][51] Leane, a classically-trained jeweller, later recalled having to teach himself taxidermy in order to craft the necklace.^[51][52] Look 48 featured a helmet with large black feathers and decorative metal skull made by Philip Treacy, worn with a see-through slip of black with purple embroidery.^[53][47] Ana Honigman described the model as looking as though she were "half-siren and half-Valkyrie".^[47]

Following Look 62, a black knit dress with white skull on the front, the lights went down, then came back up, illuminating the carousel as well as the decor at the rear of the stage.^[46] Several models styled with dark clown makeup and large wigs cavorted around the stage, posing in their eveningwear.^[54][46] One of these models had a gold skeleton – originally a piece of set decoration from Dante (Autumn/Winter 1996) – attached to her ankle.^[36][55] Another wore a bias cut dress in silver which exposed the model's breast, reminiscent of the 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix.^[34] Erin O'Connor became entangled in balloons on the side of the stage while making her entrance, dragging them to the centre of the carousel. Other models cut the balloons to free her.^[56][57][38] After several minutes, the lights came up fully and the models walked out to take their final turn.^[58] McQueen then came out to take his bow.^[59]

Author Dana Thomas regarded the collection as a message aimed at the management at French conglomorate LVMH, with whom McQueen had a turbulent relationship.^[36] She considered the use of the Child Catcher's voice a direct allusion to LVMH founder Bernard Arnault.^[36] Author Karen Homer concurred, writing that the elements from the French Revolution were a message indicating that McQueen was now free from LVMH.^[60]

Thomas also thought the collection caricatured the work of John Galliano. Many models wore Marcel waves, which Galliano had been using extensively at that time. Others wore the three-pointed wigs, which mimicked those used in the Galliano show Filibustiers (Spring/Summer 1993).^[36] The 1930s-style makeup worn by some models also echoed Galliano's runway styling.^[36] Many designs were interpretations of Galliano standards like slip dresses, biker jackets, military coats, and sashes.^[36]

Merry-Go-Round marked the first appearance of the skull print that is now a signature of the brand.^[34][31]

When McQueen and Leane participated in the Fashion in Motion series at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 2001, they presented the pearl and pheasant necklace as one of their featured items.^[51] Leane later created a pair of earrings – pearls held in pheasant claws – that echoed the necklace for his jewellery line.^[52] Two items from Merry-Go-Round appeared in the "Romantic Mind" section of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, a retrospective exhibition of McQueen's designs: a black coatdress and a black ensemble with gold military-style embellishments.^[61]

• Alexander McQueen | Women's Autumn/Winter 2001 | Runway Show. Alexander McQueen. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2024 – via YouTube.
• Bolton, Andrew (2011). Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. New York City: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-412-5. OCLC 687693871.
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• Mora, Juliana Luna; Berry, Jess (2 September 2022). "Creative Direction Succession in Luxury Fashion: The Illusion of Immortality at Chanel and Alexander McQueen". Luxury. 9 (2–3): 126, 128, 132. doi:10.1080/20511817.2022.2194039. ISSN 2051-1817.
• Thomas, Dana (2015). Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. New York City: Penguin Publishing. ISBN 978-1-101-61795-3. OCLC 951153602.
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  • Bethune, Kate. "Encyclopedia of Collections". In Wilcox (2015), pp. 303–326.
  • Evans, Caroline. "Modelling McQueen: Hard Grace". In Wilcox (2015), pp. 189–202.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to What A Merry-Go-Round.

• Alexander McQueen | Women's Autumn/Winter 2001 | Runway Show. Alexander McQueen. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2024 – via YouTube.