KT020-012 Listing.qxp_Layout 1 19/05/2016 12:38 Page 89
353 Björk’s Alexander McQueen ‘Kimono’ dress worn for the album cover of ‘Homogenic’, 1997, un-labelled, comprising: blue and white damask satin kimono woven with prunus blossom, and lined in oriental scarlet satin figured with foliate roundels, with wide bell-shaped sleeves, elongated front hem panels; the obi-sash of pink and brown basket-weave effect satin with navy stripes, bust approx. 86cm, 34in; together with a Christian Dior coiled brass necklace (3)
Björk approached Lee McQueen, Katy England and the photographer Nick Knight to work on her ‘Homogenic’ album cover. She had seen and liked the sinister but beautiful image of Devon Aoki in Visionaire magazine, which they had recently produced. Devon appeared with geisha hairstyle in an oriental silk dress with deep funnel collar from McQueen’s ‘La Poupée’ collection. Björk wanted an equally powerful, other-worldy look for her cover, explaining that she wished to be depicted as a warrior - a warrior who fought not with weapons, but with love: ‘I had ten kilos of hair on my head, special contact lenses, a manicure that prevented me from eating with my fingers, and gaffer tape around my waist and high clogs so I couldn’t walk easily’, she said of the fashion shoot. At the same time as Björk’s photoshoot, McQueen was working on his ‘Eclect Dissect’ Givenchy couture collection Autumn-Winter, 1997-98 (presented in July 1997). The collection combined ethnic, tribal and cultural influences from all over the world. In the Paris show the fabulous towering ‘Masai’ style necklace made by Shaun Leane for Björk’s album cover was re-used and there are numerous ‘japonism’ references in the collection with kimono dresses, oriental embroidery and geisha-inspired hairstyles. It seems that ideas spawned by the collaboration with Björk were re-interpreted and expanded in that show. However, Björk’s dress was not made in Paris but hand-made in London by the McQueen studio. Exhibited: MOMA New York, March 8th to June 7th, 2015. See front cover illustration. £15000 - 25000
© Nick Knight