Page 62 - S Winter 2025

62
SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL.COM FASHION
Photo courtesy of McQueen.
F or Seán McGirr’s first resort collection as creative director at McQueen, an escape to an English
country estate served as inspiration. Opting for a different holiday excursion than the typical warm-
weather resort wear, McQueen’s 2025 Resort collection calls for a respite by a grand fireplace.
Playing into the house’s knack for interpreting fantasy and romanticism in British history, the collection
was photographed at Hatfield House, an estate in the countryside of Hertfordshire—the grounds include
the remnants of a palace that was once the home of Queen Elizabeth I.
McGirr explored the many purposes of these historic English estates over the centuries, as the homes
of aristocrats and eventually museums and schools, reflecting the evolving class system in Britain.
Boarding schools often occupy these historic buildings in the U.K., and for the collection, McGirr
played with the unisex nature of school uniforms, with boxy shoulders built into tailored suits in rich
burgundy and oxblood tones. Cozy sweaters and stonewashed denim capture the informal weekend wear
of a boarding student, while leather trousers offer the youthful punk edge expected of McQueen.
Faux fur stoles give a nod to the hunting culture of the region, while maintaining the brand’s fur-free
ethos. Billowing sleeves and curved peplum silhouettes evoke the romantic, foggy moors of a Brontë novel.
But one of the most intriguing inspirations for McGirr was the fine art that hangs in English estates—
or that may be seen on a school field trip. Inspired by a school trip to Rome, where Diego Velázquez’s
Portrait of Pope Innocent X hangs in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj—a copy created by the artist also hangs
in Apsley House, an estate in London—McGirr incorporates prints of the iconic portrait, focusing on
the deep red drapery in the Pope’s robes. Taking further papal inspiration from the trip, rich purples and
delicate golds play on the opulence of Catholicism in Rome.
Through the collection, McGirr showcases his plans to further explore the past, present, and future
through the ethereal punk lens McQueen is known for.
English Town
Seán McGirr explores the allure of
the English countryside in his debut
resort collection for McQueen.
By Robyn Bell