The historical and romantic silhouettes and refined construction that characterise The Widows of Culloden collection draws upon traditional MacQueen tartan and Scotland’s natural landscape. McQueen’s use of plaid references its application in support of the Jacobite cause prior to the Battle of Culloden, reclaiming tartan not as a trophy of British conquest but as a symbol of Scottish identity.
Top left and bottom: Alexander McQueen, Look 30 (detail), from the Dante collection, autumn–winter 1996–97, disused synagogue, Lower East Side, New York, 1996. Photo © Robert Fairer © Alexander McQueen. Model: Kristen McMenamy
Centre and centre right: Alexander McQueen, Look 15 (detail), from the Horn of Plenty collection, autumn–winter 2009–10, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, 10 March 2009. Photo © Robert Fairer © Alexander McQueen. Model: Kamila Filipcikova
Background: Details of the MacQueen tartan used by Alexander McQueen for the Widows of Culloden collection, autumn–winter 2006–07 © Alexander McQueen. Photo © Robert Fairer
