Alexander McQueen's Anatomy of Power for A/W 23

When Alexander McQueen showed their A/W 23 collection in Paris this past March, it was all about going back to the roots of the London brand; reestablishing its anatomy. In the aptly titled collection, creative director Sarah Burton was focused on tailoring and structure, a not so subtle nod to the late, namesake designer's Savile Row training and obsession with cut. Tailored bustiers, leather coats and even the 'bumster in reverse', as Burton described it, met with orchid prints; a reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of the human anatomy. As the soundtrack for McQueen's A/W 98 show played backwards, guests were shown the beauty of McQueen then, and now.

For the A/W 23 collection campaign, Burton chose to move away from the London-centric campaigns of late, such as a film of a model coated in mud on the banks of the Thames, instead serving David Sims the task of capturing a series of arresting portraits.

Starring Naomi Campbell, who walked the show in Paris and recently led a troupe of the McQueen army through the streets of London for S/S 23, Sims's images capture the powerful essence of the Alexander McQueen wearer.

Joined by Yseult, Elle Fanning, Liu Wen, Eva Green, Eliott De Smedt, Momo Ndiaye and Karolina Spakowski, the stellar line-up are shown in black and white, highlighting the structure of the collection, but also colour, finding a push and pull between the dualities of romanticism. 'Extraordinarily beautiful and infinitely adaptable, the orchid mimics both predator and prey. In the language of flowers, the orchid is a symbol of love', Burton told press of the collection. For the A/W 23 campaign, McQueen presents its orchids in human form.