Quietly last Fall, Alexander McQueen, the brand, introduced a line of rugs and home accessories, in collaboration with The Rug Company.
No stranger to designer collaborations, the UK-based home decor mecca has worked with Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood and dozens of artists and designers over the years. They know how to do it right.
This is not fast fashion for your foyer, my dears. This is divine dressing for the den – and beyond.
Being a bit of a McQueen dreamer, I fell head over hummingbirds for these designs.
The collaboration took three years and the results echo the mastery of McQueen and the level of luxe detail The Rug Company is known for. The carpet couturiers even explored new weaving techniques and spun sumptuous yarns to accommodate the genius of McQueen.
The military brocade rug, for example, incorporates golden silk yarn, raised from the wool background – all of which is carved by hand. Look carefully and you can see that the serpent is wrapped in oak leaves and originates from a skull in the centre of the design and is surrounded by wreaths and ferns. The devil – and the divine – is in the details, my dears.
It raises your consciousness of what a rug can be, no? The design came from a coat from the FW01 collection.
Going back ten years in time to find these images, I am reminded again of how ahead of his time the man truly was. These would still be stand-out pieces today. His clothes are museum-worthy, aren’t they?
The “stole” above, looks like another piece of wearable art from McQueen mate Shaun Leane.
Lee was consistent in his depictions and inspirations. The military brocade design appeared ten years later, in what would be his final collection.
The dress above, is a more wearable interpretation of this glorious caped coat.
McQueen often worked in stark contrasts – light and dark; east and west; modernity and tradition; real and surreal.
Feathers were another consistent theme for McQueen. They appeared in many forms during his shows over the years – perhaps birds were the inspiration for his frequent flights of fancy.
The cashmere yarns used in the rugs were woven to reflect the softness and lightness of the feathers they depict.
They take you to another world. You are transported.
McQueen was inspired by birds of prey and lovebirds, alike. I will never forget his hummingbirds, though.
The history of the term, aubusson dates back to workshops that originated in 1743 in the villages of Aubusson and Felletin, France. These workshops were established to weave pile carpets for nobility and royal residences. The pile-less tapestry technique previously in use in this district was adapted for so many of the carpets, that the word Aubusson has become synonymous with a flat-woven French tapestry or carpet.
I saw many of these on a visit to the South of France more than a decade ago. I’ll never forget that artisan, nor his stone-walled cave workshop.
But like I said, it’s the hummingbirds that have me singing a consistent tune.
While the bulk of the collection was launched last October, designs like this one, have only become available recently.
I will not lie – I want this rug lying on my floor – and I want to wear this dress lying on top of that rug – if only for the freedom of living in a McQueen dream…
McQueen’s designs were always so cerebral – so it was fitting (and it fits so well!) that the man almost single-handedly had the world adorned in skulls.
The skulls made a memorable appearance on Ms. Moss.
She wore the same dress (and other notable ones from the past) for the May 2011 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.
In that issue, Moss remembers her friend Lee, along with close compatriots Annabelle Neilson and Ms. Guinness. How any of us will ever forget him, I cannot know.
One way to never forget, is to surround yourself in McQueen’s mastery, any way you can.
The rugs range from $4K to a soaring (think hummingbirds) $72K CAD, while the cushions are between $750 – $1K CAD. All are available at Avenue Road, the exclusive distributor for The Rug Company in Canada.
Why limit McQueen’s genius to your closet – when your condo, too can be dressed in couture?
One day that hummingbird rug will reside in my domain. It may not be domani but one day…
Images: All fashion show images courtesy of Style.com except for Intarsia dress which is from Netaporter.com; Harper’s Bazaar image courtesy of TFS; all rug and pillow images courtesy of Avenue Road and Alexander McQueen.
