Last season, Seán McGirr‘s sophomore McQueen show saw the designer turn to the house’s FW94 collection and reimagine the Celtic figure of the Banshee. For FW25, the designer pivoted to revel in the principles of dandyism and the 19th-century figures who pioneered its founding, looking to aesthetes such as Oscar Wilde, Vesta Tilley and Romaine Brooks. Fascinated by the beauty of literature, music, and the arts as opposed to their intellectual functions, Aestheticism saw the rise of frivolity and liberation seep into every aspect of its appreciators’ lives – including their wardrobes. Opening his show notes with an 1891 quote from Wilde which reads, “‘Know thyself ’ was written over the portal of the antique world. Over the portal of the new world, ‘Be thyself’ shall be written,” McGirr cemented his intention to honour the legacy of Lee McQueen while presenting a new vision for the British house.

Borrowing from Victorian Gothic tropes with decadent hues, corseted silhouettes, dramatic sleeves and intricate lace, McGirr’s collection explored the neo-dandy in full force. Demure opulence underpinned the opening sequence of impeccably tailored all-black looks as a score of nineteenth-century strings by French musician Ange Halliwell filled the show space before descending into a contemporary mixtape featuring Joy Orbison, John Glacier and Ange Halliwell.

Fluid silks and textured lace were fashioned into billowing dresses with book-pleated collars and pinched Victorian shoulders, cast in vibrant fuchsia, lilac and green. Outerwear was crafted in supple leather and trimmed with faux shearling, paired with slim-fit tailored suit trousers or enveloping delicate organza garments. A series of angular hats made by Irish haute couture milliner Philip Treacy sat atop models’ heads, worn alongside leather pussybow blouses, embellished knitwear and voluminously ruffled shirting.

Speaking on the collection, McGirr said, “To me, dandyism is the ultimate act of adornment; deeply personal, playful and transgressive. It raises questions of character and identity, idealism and gender. I wanted to explore the enduring relevance of the dandy’s radical spirit in our modern world.”