VOSS
In 2001, Skin Two's Features Editor Michelle Olley was known for her background in creative performance and for being a hallmark of London's nightlife circuit. This caught the eye of Alexander McQueen’s right-hand-woman Sidonie Barton, who asked Michelle to model nude for the designer’s Spring show Voss.
On the day, spectators were allocated seats opposite a glass box where they were forced to scrutinise their reflections for over two hours. Models then walked manically inside the box which was lined with padding like a mental asylum. For the finale, a beeping heart monitor flat-lined as the walls of another glass box in the centre of the room fell to the ground. They revealed a nude Michelle reclining on a chaise longue.
She was smothered in live moths and wore a cement breathing mask. The visual was a recreation of Sanitarium by the macabre artist Joel Peter Witkin. The tableau asked the audience to question conventional beauty and challenged the superficial nature of the fashion industry.
Click here to watch the clip.
Click here to watch the clip.
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Alexander McQueen SS01. Cover image.
Yoox Net-A-Porter Runway Collection: Fashion Footage Archive