Eye

Eye (Spring/Summer 2000) was the fifteenth collection made by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen for his eponymous fashion house. It was inspired by the culture of the Middle East, particularly Islamic clothing, as well as the oppression of women in Islamic culture, and their resistance to it. The collection crossed traditional Middle Eastern garments with elements drawn from Western fashion such as sportswear and fetishwear. Jeweller and frequent McQueen collaborator Shaun Leane provided the collection's most well-known design: a yashmak made from chainmail. The runway show for Eye was staged at Pier 94 on 16 September 1999, during New York Fashion Week. In the days leading up to the runway show, Hurricane Floyd was threatening New York City, and although numerous other designers cancelled shows, McQueen decided to go ahead with Eye. Despite the weather, more than 1,000 guests attended. The show was presented on a runway flooded with several inches of water, dyed black to resemble oil. Sixty-eight looks were presented in the main show, after which, a bed of nails rose up from the water on the floor for the show's finale. Strobe lighting played while acrobats dressed in robes descended from the ceiling suspended from wires. When McQueen walked out for his final bow, he dropped his pants to display boxer shorts styled to look like the American flag. Critical response to Eye was mixed. While some reviewers enjoyed the theatrical approach, others found that it overwhelmed the clothing. Many critics found that the designs lacked innovation. The frock coats and dresses were consistently deemed the strongest part of the collection. Critical analysis has typically interpreted Eye as a statement about the contrast between the sexual and political values of the Western world and the Middle East. Accessories from Eye appeared at both stagings of the retrospective exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, and clothing from the collection appeared in the 2022 exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse. Background British designer Alexander McQueen was known in the fashion industry for his imaginative, sometimes controversial designs. His fashion shows were theatrical to the point of verging on performance art. McQueen drew inspiration for his clothing and shows from a broad range of sources, including history, world religions, art, and his own life.