On Sunday night, Alexander McQueen returned to the official London Fashion Week schedule for the first time since 2001. For Spring/Summer 2027, creative director Seán McGirr chose the Undercroft of Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, a rib-vaulted stone chamber with centuries-old graves beneath its floor.

Courtesy of McQueen

McGirr built the collection around two images of London that initially appear irreconcilable. The first was Piero della Francesca’s painting of Christ’s baptism, particularly its serene, pale-winged angel. The second was a group of young ravers making their way home at dawn. The contrast came into focus through the silver leaves scattered across several gowns. Inspired by foliage catching on clothing after a night spent outside, the metallic embellishments chimed as the models walked. Decoration became both sound and evidence, as though the clothes had absorbed traces of the city before entering the chapel.

Much of the metalwork came from Shaun Leane, whose relationship with Alexander McQueen began in 1995. Leane created the sculptural body jewelry that helped define Lee McQueen’s runway language, including the coiled corset inspired by Burmese neck rings and the aluminum-and-silver spine that encased the wearer’s torso.

Courtesy of McQueen

For this collection, Shaun Leane created a recycled silver harness worn by Karen Elson and supplied two archival headpieces dating from 1998 and 2004. His presence, however, extended beyond a conventional archival reference. Leane has long treated jewelry as an extension of the body, capable of protecting, restricting, and transforming it—an approach closely aligned with Lee McQueen’s view of clothing as armor and his desire to make those he dressed appear powerful, formidable, and even fearsome.

The skull appeared again, repeated across a close-fitting dress. First introduced into McQueen’s ready-to-wear at the house’s last London Fashion Week show in 2001, the emblem provided a direct link to that earlier collection. The tailoring was among the collection’s strongest elements, particularly in three menswear looks produced by Savile Row house Huntsman.

Courtesy of McQueen