No. 13 – McQueen Spring/ Summer 1999
When fashion becomes performance
The Alexander McQueen 1999 spring show, called “No. 13”, was a pivotal fashion show staged during London Fashion Week in September of 1998. Its rise in popularity began with the merging of couture with performance art, and most famously, with its finale, featuring model Shalom Harlow being spray-painted by robots.
Concept
No. 13 explored the relationship between technology, art, and Human emotion. McQueen’s concept clashed mechanical precision with organic human vulnerability, questioning the boundaries between creation and destruction.
The collection featured sculptural tailoring, corsetry, lace, and prosthetics. Garments balanced Victorian romanticism with futuristic features. The contrast between the craftsmanship and machine process foreshadowed the fashion industry’s industrialised switch.
Paralympic athlete and double amputee Aimee Mullins opened McQueen’s 13th show wearing a Victorian-inspired prosthetic leg-boot, carved with intricate vines and leaves.
The prosthetics used in the show were inspired by the Queen Mary Hospital, which was founded in 1915 to care for soldiers who lost limbs in war service.
The show
Most looks were made in natural tones, including black, ivory, brown, and baby blue. The neutrals contrasted with the hardwood that was used for the stitched corsetry and prosthetics.
Different textures dominated the runways, strips of balsa and birch wood were cut, punched, and manipulated into delicate, fan-like designs, including a winged bodice and a wooden-beaded dress.
Raffia was used for fringed skirts, soft eyelet fabric for a soft and feminine touch, and metal mesh was used to make the garments sparkle on the turning platform.
Setting
Models strutted down the runway in the Gatliff Warehouse in London, which was previously a bus depot, in between two machines and walked over spinning platforms, showcasing the looks for the audience.
The Finale
The final look of the show, performed by former ballerina and supermodel Shalom Harlow, was a visual of her spinning on a platform as robots, usually used to paint cars, sprayed paint on her.