Sarah Burton’s Autumn/Winter 2016 menswear collection marked Alexander McQueen’s return to London with a vision steeped in gothic romanticism. Staged as a dialogue between tailoring and theatre, the season translated Savile Row precision into a darker, more poetic register. The atmosphere evoked a moonlit world where romance met symbols of strength and transformation.

Silhouettes reflected the house’s balance of control and release. Naval-inspired greatcoats, elongated frock coats, and tuxedo tailoring were animated by brocade, embroidery, and hardware that blurred the line between regalia and armour. Styling reinforced this ritualistic mood with textured, undone hair pinned with jewellery-like accents, makeup that suggested piercings, and chains threaded across accessories. 

Botanical and insect imagery has long been a cornerstone of McQueen’s design language. From the hair-embroidered flowers of his graduate collection Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims (1992) to the butterfly headpieces of Voss (SS01) and the moth-covered gowns of Widows of Culloden (AW06), nature has always symbolized both beauty and decay. In AW16, Burton continued this lineage with moths and butterflies embroidered across coats, florals bloomed in sequins, and natural motifs entwined with tailoring. 

These motifs echoed McQueen’s enduring fascination with nature as both beautiful and unsettling, serving as reminders of mortality, transformation, and metamorphosis.

Among the season’s most memorable pieces was the chain embellished wool blazer from Look 28. Its sharp frame was draped with silver chains hung with symbolic charms such as spiders, beetles, and skulls, allowing the wearer to adjust their placement. 

Tagged Size 48

Measurements:

Length: 79cm

Shoulder: 44cm

Ptp: 48cm

Sleeve: 66cm

Hem: 59cm