Sean McGirr’s tenure at Alexander McQueen has officially hit its stride. If his debut was a sprint—completed in just four weeks—his sophomore and now third collections show a designer who is becoming increasingly confident in shaping McQueen’s legacy for the future. Fall/Winter 2025 was an ode to the radical spirit of dandyism, steeped in Victorian grandeur, but electrified with the raw edge of punk and the ethereal whispers of folklore.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2025 Collection
McGirr’s creative vision is rooted in deep historical references, yet he modernizes them with a sharp and rebellious edge. His latest collection drew inspiration from McQueen’s Fall 1994 ‘Banshee’ collection, with its spectral, mythological undertones, as well as the designer’s longstanding love for Savile Row tailoring, the London underworld, and wild nature. But McGirr injected his own DNA—borrowing from his Irish heritage, the aristocratic affectations of Etonian school uniforms, and the misfit grandeur of East End youth ‘trying to be posh but failing,’ as he described it.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2025 Collection
The show itself was a spectacle of contradictions. Models emerged from a mirrored installation by set designer Tom Scutt, descending into a palatial space where McGirr’s neo-dandies roamed. The first 12 looks were a study in monochrome—black, white, and shades of Victorian mourning—oscillating between gothic romance and medieval revival. Skinny black trousers paired with sheer lace maxi dresses, intricately detailed corsets flaunted visible hook-and-eye closures, and lace tights peeked through the voluminous structure of heavy coats. The collection pulsed with the tension between restraint and excess, tradition and rebellion.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2025 Collection
McGirr leaned heavily into tailoring—one of McQueen’s strongest legacies—creating strong-shouldered blazers, sharply-cut coats, and military-inspired outerwear. The signature twist-front silhouette, mimicking the act of clutching a coat against the cold, added a sculptural yet organic element to the garments. The infamous ‘bumsters’ made a return, this time slashed at the back and softened with white ruffled inserts, a provocative nod to past and present.
Dandyism served as the ideological backbone of the collection, and McGirr cited Oscar Wilde in his show notes: “Over the portal of the new world, ‘Be thyself’ shall be written.” His interpretation of the 19th-century dandy wasn’t purely about ornamentation—it was about defiance. Gold bullion-embroidered cloaks stood alongside crystalized face masks, obscuring identity while amplifying presence. Philip Treacy’s sculptural black hats added an air of mystery, recalling both aristocratic fashion and underground club culture.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2025 Collection
Perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful aspect of the collection was its connection to folklore. McGirr revisited the Irish myth of the banshee, a wailing spirit associated with death, whose long locks are often depicted in stories. This influence manifested in shredded silk tops that appeared windblown, distressed lace dresses resembling combed-out strands, and brush-shaped embellishments on handbags and jewelry. The final look—a cascading gown entangled in silver chains—felt like a banshee mid-flight, a spectral presence gliding through the fog-drenched runway.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2025 Collection
McQueen’s historical foundation has always been one of theatricality, rebellion, and storytelling. McGirr’s Fall 2025 collection, with its razor-sharp tailoring, melancholic romance, and punk-inflected dandyism, proves that he is not merely referencing the past—he is shaping McQueen’s future. And in the world of fashion, where true radicals are rare, that is no small feat.