McQueen Autumn Winter 2025: Artisanal Embroideries

Discover the intricate embroidery techniques from Autumn Winter 2025

Drawing on the romanticism and eccentricity of dandyism from the 19th century, McQueen Autumn Winter 2025 pushes the boundaries of artisanal embroidery techniques, with a selection of embellished pieces that reflect the opulence and adornment of key figures of the aesthetic movement such as Oscar Wilde.

Borrowing from the codes of the Victorian era, intricate techniques inspired by themes of Naturalism and ceremonial formalwear, are applied to sculptural silhouettes and sharp, modernist tailoring.

Crystal Mirror Embroidery

Reminiscent of traditionally ornate chandeliers, crystal mirror embroidery captures the opulence and the light-scattering effects of Victorian jewellery and glass.

Each faceted element is laser-cut from mirrored resin and placed in a sunray formation, embellished with additional glass and crystal pieces. Like a scattered spectral array of light, embroidered motifs clash against midnight blue technical nylon.

Crystal mirror embroidery also adorns key accessories from the collection: the elongated Heron boots and the sculptural Drop clutch.

Dorian Grey Embroidery

Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, which explored themes of vanity and the pursuit of eternal youth, look 47 from the Autumn Winter 2025 runway captures the powerful decadence and beauty of Victorian naturalism.

The intricate artwork, illustrated by hand in the McQueen embroidery studio, intertwines anatomy with nature, as delicate flora are woven amongst a crystal skeletal base. Naturalistic motifs are created in a mixture of glass beads, crystal and bullion including: birds, moths, butterflies, beetles, iris, violet, rose, thistle and pansy flowers, with each element woven throughout a complex three-dimensional ribcage, as if growing from within.

Goldwork Border Embroidery

Autumn Winter 2025 references ceremonial traditions in the form of intricate goldwork border embroideries.

Inspired by traditional gilded military formalwear, this intricate placement embellishment incorporates gold bullion and sequins in a border placement that adorns the edges of statement outerwear pieces. A relaxed flight jacket in soft, antiqued brown leather is refined – decorated to distinction with rich all-over scattered gold bullion, and a dramatic floor-length cloak in jet-black wool recalls the gothic grandeur of Victorian London.