What a Merry-Go-Round is the eighteenth collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, released for the Autumn/Winter 2001 season of his eponymous fashion house. The collection drew on imagery of clowns and carnivals, inspired by McQueen's feelings about childhood and his experiences in the fashion industry. The designs were influenced by military chic, cinema such as Nosferatu (1922) and Cabaret (1972), 1920s flapper fashion, and the French Revolution. The palette comprised dark colours complemented with neutrals and muted greens. The show marked the first appearance of the skull motif that became a signature of the McQueen brand.
The collection's runway show was staged on 21 February 2001 at the Gatliff Road Warehouse in London, as part of London Fashion Week. It was McQueen's final show in London; all his future collections were presented in Paris. Sixty-two looks were presented in the main runway show, with at least six more in the finale. The show was staged in a dark room with a carousel at the centre. During the finale, the lights came up to reveal piles of discarded childhood bric-à-brac at the rear of the stage, while models dressed as evil clowns cavorted around the stage, posing in their eveningwear.
Critical response to the collection was generally positive, and it has attracted some academic analysis for the theme and messaging. Like McQueen's previous show Voss (Spring/Summer 2001), Merry-Go-Round served as a critique of the fashion industry, which he sometimes described as toxic and suffocating. It contained elements that several authors have taken as references to French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH and its management, with whom McQueen had a turbulent relationship. Ensembles from Merry-Go-Round have appeared in exhibitions such as the McQueen retrospective Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.
Background British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was known for his imaginative, sometimes controversial designs, and dramatic fashion shows. Over the course of his career, which lasted from 1992 until his death in 2010, he explored a broad range of ideas and themes, particularly sexuality, death, femininity, romanticism, and historicism. His collections were strongly historicist, referencing and reworking historical narratives and concepts. McQueen began his career in fashion as an apprentice with Savile Row tailors, which earned him a reputation as an expert tailor. McQueen had a difficult relationship with the fashion industry, which he sometimes described as toxic and suffocating. He was often ambivalent about continuing his career in fashion. Several of McQueen's collections, including the preceding show, Voss (Spring/Summer 2001), were intended as commentary and critique on the industry.
From October 1996 to October 2001, McQueen wasin addition to his responsibilities for his own labelhead designer at French fashion house Givenchy, owned by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. His time there was fraught, primarily because of creative differences between him, the label, and the management at LVMH. In December 2000, before his Givenchy contract ended, McQueen signed a deal with Gucci, an Italian fashion house and rival to Givenchy, effectively daring LVMH to fire him. Gucci bought 51 per cent of McQueen's company, retaining him as its creative director. What a Merry-Go-Round was the last collection he produced for his own label while with Givenchy.
McQueen's career roughly paralleled that of fellow British designer John Galliano, who preceded him in the industry by about a decade. Their designs and shows were similarly creative and theatrical. 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. 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.
Concept and collection
What a Merry-Go-Round (Autumn/Winter 2001) is the eighteenth collection McQueen made for his eponymous fashion house. 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). As was typical for McQueen, he pulled from his own life to inform his designs. In this case, he connected the vulnerability of childhood to his turbulent experiences with the fashion industry. McQueen explicitly drew on the fear of clowns in describing his vision: "We show children clowns as if they are funny. They're not. They're really scary." The carousel at the centre of the show represented the ride his career had been for the preceding year.
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). McQueen intended the collection's designs to be relatively unified in order to allow him to build a consistent visual identity for his brand. He felt that previous collections had had too many ideas he had not fully capitalised on.
The overall colour palette was dark. Most early looks featured neutral colours, and orange and green becoming more prominent later on. Skulls and harlequin patterns were a repeat motif. Primary materials included leather and jersey, embellished with sequins, lace, and peacock and ostrich feathers. The influence of military chic was clear in khaki items, garments tailored to resemble uniforms, and a headpiece of antique-looking aeroplanes. McQueen called these designs a reflection of the "regimented aspect of childhood". Many designs were reworked from earlier collections, including Joan (Autumn/Winter 1998), Eshu (Autumn/Winter 2000), and Voss.
McQueen's interest in historical fashion was a strong influence on the collection. Large greatcoats and gold braid drew aesthetically on the French Revolution, while other items, particularly the bias cut sheath dresses, were influenced by the clothing worn by flappers of the 1920s. Textile curators Clarissa M. Esguerra and Michaela Hansen identified Look 44, a sequined dress with ruffles at the hips, as exemplary of this influence in the collection. They argued that it was McQueen's reinterpretation of the robe de style, a 1920s silhouette characterised by a straight-cut top with a more voluminous skirt at the hips. They saw the sequins and colours as reminiscent of Weimar cabaret.
Several looks included accessories made from taxidermy pheasant claws clutching strings of Tahitian pearls, made by McQueen's longtime collaborator Shaun Leane. A classically-trained jeweller, Leane had to teach himself taxidermy in order to craft these items; he later replicated the pheasant claw earrings for his jewellery line.
Runway show
Production details The runway show was staged on 21 February 2001, at the Gatliff Road Warehouse in London. It was the last of six shows McQueen held there, and his final major show in his home city; all his future womenswear collections were staged in Paris. The invitations used an image by Ferdinando Scianna: an elderly-looking clown wearing a red, white, and blue outfit, echoing the tricoloured flag of France.
The audience were first led into gated standing-room-only area which journalist Maggie Alderson derisively described as "holding pens", where they were made to wait for half an hour before being allowed to take their seats, to the irritation of many. Notable audience members included model Kate Moss, actress Bianca Jagger, media executive Nicholas Coleridge, and Domenico de Sole, then-CEO of Gucci.
McQueen typically worked with a consistent creative team for his shows, which he planned with Katy England, his assistant and primary stylist. Gainsbury & Whiting oversaw production. Joseph Bennett returned for set design. Hair was styled by Guido Palau, with make-up by Val Garland. Philip Treacy created headpieces, while Shaun Leane was responsible for jewellery; both were longtime collaborators of McQueen's. Waterford Crystal produced a walking stick made from crystal and bone.
Catwalk presentation The collection was presented in a dimly-lit room with a circular stage, the floor painted in a spiral of grey and blue. The centrepiece was a large antique carousel, the horses covered in black, purple, and lavender latex. At the rear, the stage was piled with childhood bric-à-brac including stuffed toys, puppets, balloons, and skeletons, all covered in dust, suggesting an old-fashioned child's nursery, a toy shop, or an attic filled with discarded possessions. These items were in darkness for much of the show, revealed only for the finale.
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. The rest of the backing music included heavy metal music, the theme song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and selections from the soundtrack of horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968) including the lullaby "Sleep Safe and Warm". "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins (1964) played over the finale.
The performance direction for the models was aggressive – Claire Wilcox wrote that they walked "like dominatrixes", while the Vogue reviewer called them "hard-as-nails". Models were styled with stark white face make-up as a base, reminiscent of Pierrot, a sad clown stock character from pantomime theatre. In the main section of the show, the models wore dark lips in a style typical of the 1930s and loose hair styled in Marcel waves. In the finale, they wore dark clown make-up and wigs teased into shapes, including some three-pointed styles. Fashion theorist Janice Miller considered it "emblematic" of villains from children's media.
Sixty-two looks were presented in the main runway show, with at least six more in the finale. Models walked around the carousel, some using its poles to twirl around. Look 34, a black dress, was styled with a gold fox skeleton draped over the model's shoulders to mimic a fox fur stole. Look 35 was a coat with a high, asymmetrical collar and Chinese-inspired embroidery in light green. Look 37 featured a showpiece necklace of Tahitian pearls and pheasant claws made by Shaun Leane. The long strands of pearls suggested 1920s fashion, while the mass of claws deceptively resembled fur and hinted at morbidity. 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. Ana Honigman described the model as looking as though she were "half-siren and half-Valkyrie".
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. Several models styled as evil clowns with dark clown make-up and large wigs dusted with cobwebs cavorted around the stage, posing in their eveningwear. One of these models had a gold skeleton – originally a piece of set decoration from Dante (Autumn/Winter 1996) – attached to her ankle. 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. 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 away to free her. After several minutes, the lights came up fully and the models walked out to take their final turn, followed by McQueen taking his bow and shaking de Sole's hand.
Reception
Contemporary