Following a Legend with Grace

Very few individuals ever saw Alexander Mc Queen’s studio, and fewer still had heard of his right hand woman, head of women’s wear, 36 yr old Sarah Burton. Last May, Burton was announced creative director of Mc Queen’s label, an announcement that had much of the industry in uncertainty. This English-rose blonde married David Burton in 2004, photographer of Mc Queen’s lookbooks. Joining Mc Queen as a textile-student intern from Central Saint Martins in 1996, Burton became an imperative part of the puzzle as she could execute Mc Queen’s last minute demands to do the impossible.

The brutal reality of February 11, 2010 (Mc Queen’s death) left Burton, and many others, at a loss for words. However, Burton explains “my way of grieving was working, but then it was, what’s going to happen now?” What happened next would shock the industry into fashion conviction…

Burton mustered up the courage to take on the hefty burden of designing the first collection since his death. Burton states, “I’m not trying to be Lee. I can’t be! Lee was big, broad, confident brushstrokes- he had such immense confidence. But I think I am more about seeing the beauty in the small, and seeing the clothes. What I wanted was something lighter, for each peace to feel precious.”

Burton successfully softened Mc Queen’s templates of English paganism and folklore, nature, and the earthy, pro-female connection, he always maintained. This 36 yr old creative director not only lifted the ominous tension but fashioned a foretaste of life and hope.
The circumstances maybe tragic, and now the great legend is gone, and she knows she’s bound to be criticized for not being him; however, Burton exclaims, “you have to go with your gut…even if someone else is not going to like it. Because you know, you’re putting your soul on the line.”
Needless to say Burton’s collection was a hit; she showed a variety of pieces that absolutely delighted critics, and probably relieved buyers, too. Here’s what critics had to say:

Robin Givhan, The Washington Post
“McQueen poured himself into his brand. Burton is, for now, only its caretaker…In a nod to McQueen’s romantic side, Burton did her best work: a mid-thigh dress printed with butterflies with a tiny swarm of hand-painted beauties — Monarchs maybe — fluttering around the shoulders.”

Cathy Horyn, The New York Times
“Succeeding Mr. McQueen is a difficult undertaking. Yet Ms. Burton showed two valuable qualities. She was modest about what she chose to take on; some references to the McQueen craft and drama are necessarily, but her choices reflected a gradual transition. And she obviously knows how to make light clothes. Over the next few seasons, she should feel more confident to bring out her own ideas.”

Xoxo,
The Fein Girls