Supernature, the Cosmos, the Night Sky: Alexander McQueen Men’s SS23
The Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2023 Menswear collection is inspired by "science and structure," fused with "supernature, the cosmos, and the night sky."
An oversized tailored coat with cape sleeves in black wool twill with tonal satin lapels and exploded silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery, a shirt in white cotton poplin and wide-legged trousers in black wool twill with a tonal satin side stripe.
Supernature: The Natural History of the Supernatural seeks to reconcile these ideas. Published in 1973 by author ethologist Lyall Watson, the book provides plausible explanations to "the unexplained," applying scientific rationale to supernatural phenomena. The result is a demonstration of how complexity can inhabit simple things, and how simplicity can be located in seemingly complex ones. Diamonds are a form of carbon, with the element's atoms arranged in a crystal structure – a process requiring a single element and the addition of heat and pressure, a straightforward recipe resulting in a thing that is as intelligible as it is mystifying. Sun, moon, and celestial bodies influence the tides of Earth and assert force on ourselves – an uncomplicated notion, like that of gravity, but one that continues to bewilder us.
"Life arose by order out of chaos and maintains this order by collecting information from the cosmos," writes Watson. "Cosmic forces bombard earth all the time, but the movement of celestial bodies and the movement of earth in relation to these bodies produces a pattern that provides useful information." In grain de poudre and metallic sequin flourishes, "double diamond" prints and astral embroidery, rational tailoring and bewitched embellishments, Alexander McQueen communicates in clothing something like what Watson distills in Supernature: that we, bound together in similar structure and function to all things, are "involved in an open dialogue with the universe ... that unites all life into one vast organism that is itself part of an even larger dynamic structure" – and that we, for all our special features, are an integral part of this whole.
A double-breasted asymmetric tailored jacket in black grain de poudre with tonal satin lapels and cigarette trousers in black grain de poudre with a tonal satin side stripe.
A single-breasted tailored jacket in black wool gabardine, a shirt in white cotton poplin and cigarette trousers in black wool gabardine.
A double-breasted tailored coat in black double diamond print cady suiting, a shirt in double diamond print cotton poplin and cigarette trousers in double diamond print cady suiting.
Featuring details from ‘Double Diamond’, 2008 Charles Arnoldi. © Charles Arnoldi. Courtesy of Charles Arnoldi.
A single-breasted tailored jacket in ivory grain de poudre, a shirt in white cotton poplin and cigarette trousers in ivory grain de poudre.
A tailored jacket with a cutaway waist and back in black wool twill, a harness in black leather and cigarette trousers in black wool twill.
An asymmetric tailored jacket and wide-legged trousers in ivory grain de poudre.
A single-breasted tailored jacket in powder pink double diamond print cady suiting, a shirt in powder pink double diamond print cotton poplin and cigarette trousers in powder pink double diamond cady suiting.
Featuring details from ‘Double Diamond’, 2008 Charles Arnoldi. © Charles Arnoldi. Courtesy of Charles Arnoldi.
A double-breasted tailored jacket and wide-legged trousers in pale lilac grain de poudre.
A trench coat in black double diamond print leather and wide-legged trousers in white leather.
Featuring details from ‘Double Diamond’, 2008 Charles Arnoldi. © Charles Arnoldi. Courtesy of Charles Arnoldi.
An oversized double-breasted jacket in powder blue wool, a shirt in white cotton poplin and wide-legged trousers in powder blue wool.
A drop shoulder shirt in ivory leather and wide-legged trousers in black leather.
An oversized cardigan with slash detailing in black lambswool, an oversized shirt in white cotton poplin and shorts in white cotton canvas.
A piqué knit jumper in powder pink double diamond jacquard and wide-legged trousers in black leather.
Featuring details from ‘Double Diamond’, 2008 Charles Arnoldi. © Charles Arnoldi. Courtesy of Charles Arnoldi.
An oversized shirt with a patchwork bib front in white and black cotton poplin and shorts in black cotton canvas.
A bomber jacket in black leather and wide-legged trousers in black leather.
A crew neck jumper in chunky cable knit black wool with silver ring detailing and trousers in black leather with zipped hem detailing.
A single-breasted tailored jacket in black grain de poudre with metallic sequin logo stamp embroidery, a shirt in white cotton poplin and cigarette trousers in black grain de poudre with metallic sequin logo stamp embroidery.
A cropped utility blouson in black light cotton canvas and wide-legged utility trousers with a drawstring hem in black light cotton chintz.
A pullover shirt in blue denim, a harness in black leather and jeans in blue denim.
A patched bomber jacket and trousers in pale lilac denim and poly faille.
A single-breasted tailored jacket in ivory grain de poudre with metallic sequin logo stamp embroidery, a shirt in white cotton poplin and cigarette trousers in ivory grain de poudre with metallic sequin logo stamp embroidery.
A double-breasted tailored jacket in black fluid twill, a shirt in white cotton poplin and wide-legged trousers in black fluid twill.
An asymmetric tailored waistcoat in black wool gabardine and wide-legged trousers in black wool gabardine.
A tailored jacket with a cutaway waist and back, tonal satin lapels and crystal harness embroidery in black barathea and cigarette trousers in black barathea with a tonal satin side stripe.
An asymmetric tailored cape coat in black barathea with tonal satin lapels and wide-legged trousers in black barathea with a tonal satin side stripe.
An oversized double-breasted tailored coat in black wool twill, a tailored waistcoat in black barathea with silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery, a shirt in white cotton poplin and tailored wide-legged trousers in black barathea with silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery.
An oversized double-breasted tailored jacket in white wool twill with silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery, a shirt in ivory silk poplin and wide-legged trousers in white wool twill with silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery.
An oversized single-breasted jacket in black wool twill with silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery, a shirt in white cotton poplin and wide-legged trousers in black wool twill with silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery.
An oversized tailored coat with cape sleeves in black wool twill with tonal satin lapels and exploded silver sequin and crystal astral embroidery, a shirt in white cotton poplin and wide-legged trousers in black wool twill with a tonal satin side stripe.
