© Courtesy photo Alexander McQueen designed his Kyiv boutique himself.

More and more high street fashion designers are finding their way to Kyiv and opening boutiques. The latest arrivals to Ukraine’s fashion scene include Alexander McQueen, DScquared2 and Moschino.

The Alexander McQueen shop was just recently added to the fashion family of Sanahunt Luxury Concept Store, which houses a number of various boutiques under one roof, each bearing individual design that’s as interesting to see as the garments. 

The shop was created by the project of architect William Russell and Alexander McQueen himself. The concept of the design derives from McQueen’s fascination with history and customs of ancient Celtic priests – druids, whose secret communities possessed mysterious natural force doctrine and clairvoyants that aimed to find world power. Alexander McQueen’s shop is situated on the upper level of the boutique and consists of two adjoining halls. In the center of the first hall there is a massive mirror column with a built-in TV screen displaying the latest Alexander McQueen catwalk creations, and table with luminous halogen surface – made to look similar to the sacral table of druids, with cocoon-like arm-chairs.

Displays for accessories, which are placed along the walls, consist of the arched niches of different sizes, and remind the monastic cells of priests, carved in rocks. Handcrafted mannequins stand between them, covered by a spider’s web and decorated with floral arrangements. The second hall is also framed by a large mirror column. The softly lit built-in niches create an illusion, as though items are gliding.

Items from the latest Alexander McQueen’s collection autumn-winter 2008-2009 are already presented at the boutique. The collection is a kind of a self-imagined fantasy of crinoline princesses and British-colonial romance, according to international fashion critics, it arguably surpassed anything the designer has achieved in 14 years. There are ballerina-length multi-flounced dance dresses, military tailcoats with tight pants, slim brocade and pantsuits with crisp white high-necked shirts, imperial-red and velvet jackets bedecked with antique Indian tiaras and diamond neckpieces and incredible rich Empire-line saris.