MILAN, Jan 18, 2007/ FW/ --- Alexander McQueen’s vision of fashion always tantalizes, wherein even the obvious and mundane is revitalized and becomes a bold statement. Such is the case with his Fall 2007 collection wherein film noir heroes were turned into sartorial Stepford husbands.

It was the glamour of old Hollywood, when men were silent and strong. It was in the way they squared their shoulders and their jaws firm. But instead of making it cliché, McQueen changed the parameters by the use of heavy make up, turning the models in to robot-like humans, Stepford husbands instead of wives.

So, what do the men in Stepford wear? Double-breasted suits with boxy shoulders, ever so slightly tapered at the waist just for shape. The trousers are cut loose; the legs just wide so that the cloth will have some swoosh but not cumbersome.

It’s Savile Row tailoring, opulent, rich and luxurious without a hint of hedonism. And while you begin to think that McQueen wanted to give you the ‘old standard,’ he changes gear and send a ‘plastic’ trench coat/raincoat, changing the parameter once again. The Stepford man just walked straight from the 20th century to the 21st without missing a beat!

What followed was a convergence of retro looks with futuristic style, like the double-breasted suit all wrapped in transparent plastic that reminds one of Ken doll! Then there is the trench coat made of parachute fabric, followed by a brown coat made from natural fiber with the edges embellished with white piping! The look is sharp, clean and elegant!

If you love the formal suits, then the ‘play suits’ will just astound you. Jumpsuits and trousers made from neoprene, even jogging pants that can actually be worn as regular trousers paired with tight fitting sweaters outlined with IBM blue piping. Bomber jackets created with leather or high tech fabric showed the wide range of McQueen’s inventiveness as a designer and mastery of tailoring techniques.

The best thing about this collection, aside from the fact that it is unique and imaginative is that it is also very commercially viable and will surely fly off the store shelves when it hit the retail outlets come fall.