April 1, 2012

McQueen for a Day: Hudson Furniture Collaborates With Alexander McQueen

Armed with armadillo pumps and filigree headdresses, the late Alexander McQueen regularly did battle with the familiar. Now under the creative aegis of protégé Sarah Burton, his label keeps challenging preconceptions-in this case about the supposed chasm between fashion and furnishings. 

Planning the New York launch of the spring-summer collection, McQueen staffers contacted Hudson Furniture. Their idea: simul­taneous installations in McQueen’s 2,000-square-foot boutique and Hudson’s 8,000-square-foot showroom right above. In both spaces, couture would intermingle with limited-edition furniture and lighting designed specifically for the event by Hudson founding principal Barlas Baylar. His answer: Absolutely. Mannequins strategically stood or sat near pieces such as the Lipstick console and side table, constructed by stacking layers of wood, metal, and acrylic. In the elephantine Tusk chandelier, polished stainless steel replaces ivory. The very goth Black armoire, lacquered in that color, opens with pulls that look like two halves of a giant brooch in a bronze-copper alloy. And a black-lacquered high-backed chair owes its sinuous form to the stingray, a pet McQueen motif. 

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