Alexander McQueen’s autumn collection is inspired by Byzantine art, the carvings of Grinling Gibbons, and Old Master paintings, works by Jean Fouquet, Sandro Botticelli, Stephan Lochner, Hans Memling, Hugo van der Goes, Jean Hey and Heironymus Bosch.

Entire art works and/or details are captured digitally, woven into jacquards or embroidered and engineered to fit individual garments.

The illusion of two pieces is achieved by the draping and folding of single garments designed to discreetly reveal delicate gold and silver bullion embroideries on sleeves.

The realisation is both innovative and modern, however. Although garments are intricately worked they are light, often cut from a single bolt of fabric, and using as few seams as possible or, on occasion, no seam at all. Volume is created by draping, bulleting and hand-mounting onto organza as opposed to more cumbersome inner structure.