Sought-after invitation for Alexander McQueen's fashion show, ‘What a Merry-Go-Round,’ presented at London's Gatliff Road Warehouse on February 21, 2001, as part of the designer’s Autumn/Winter 2001 collection. The invitation, with a center panel measuring 8.25″ x 6″, unfolds into a color 16.5″ x 23.5″ poster that features an image by photographer Ferdinand Scianna of an elderly clown standing with a rifle against a curtained backdrop; the center panel consists of a simple template of event, venue, press, and buyer information, with the lower right bearing an affixed yellow sticker. The invitation is issued to “Alice Smith” for seat “AM3.” In fine condition, with expected folds and some light creasing.
As the final presentation at the Gatliff Road Warehouse, ‘What a Merry-Go-Round’ did not disappoint. Gothic, dark and disturbing, the event’s theme centered around childhood fear and vulnerability, with McQueen citing the sinister Child Catcher from the 1968 family classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a primary inspiration. The macabre circus atmosphere, rife with clowns and a carousel set, blended Victorian gothic, the American flapper style, and Napoleon-era military pieces with a twisted melange of eerie carnival props like skeletons, broken dolls, balloons, and puppets. Provenance: from the Alexander McQueen Collection of Alice Smith, his first publicist, longtime friend, and muse.
