Tomorrow, a selection of Alexander McQueen garments will go under the hammer at Kerry Taylor Auctions, an auction house in Bermondsey, east London, that specialises in rare, historical clothing.
The result is a selection of 100 garments some from the museum's own 800,000-item collection; some from the Bowes Museum in Durham, England, where the show will travel in late August and be on display until early 2014; and some from the archives of the clothing company.
At the Uman presentation, Umberto Angeloni, the company's chief executive, wandered among a tightly edited selection of garments that included several matte-black suits designed for an imaginary temporal zone: not quite dinner jackets, they were not suitable either to be worn by day.
Its brimming installation is sprinkled with a handful of artworks — a bright painting from 1946, several gouaches — and a small but vivid selection of garments and accessories, including a radiant passel of boldly geometric scarves.
The exhibition spans 40 years, offering a selection of 200 haute couture garments along with photographs, drawings and films.
Across from the gray-hued garments, for example, was a selection of jaunty sweaters.
A selection of contemporary dresses made by some of the women consulted for the show are notably flashier than the older garments.
Customers choose from a selection of graphics on the Knyttan website, pick a colour palette and play with the pattern to make a bespoke garment.
Below, a selection of images.
A selection of "photo ops".
