The Overlook - An Alexander Mcqueen show inspired by Stephen King's 'The Shining'

Written by Vyoma Trivedi

In 1977, Stephen King published The Shining which soon turned out to be one of the most favored piece of horror literature. King published this psychological horror which ultimately became his best seller and inspired Stanley Kubrick to adopt this novel into a movie. In 1980, Jack Nicholson embodies the role of Jack Torrance, a troubled writer that slowly loses his mind and sets out to kill his wife

and son with an ax. The movie has set many standards for

fantastic visuals which aid to making the movie scarier and more aesthetic pleasing. The scene with the elevator door opening and a pool of blood gushing out, the scene with the two little scary twin girls along with the final scene set in the snowy woods right outside the hotel. The final scene is what inspired McQueen, deemed to be a horror goth fan himself, to recreate a visual presence of the final scene on the runway.

By this time McQueen had already established himself a showman in the world of couture. In the center of the room, stood a glass box with immaculate details reminiscing the final scene from The Shining. The presence of the pine trees and the white snow really set the scene and McQueen's intention.

The show itself begins with the cryptic horror movie soundtrack and the models strut in. The collection featured a Victorian style, billowy winter wear which had delicate patchwork and gorgeous fabrics. McQueen, a modernized man, added silvery future-like elements to the show elevating its looks. He not only adds a certain dramatic flair to his cuts, but even in his modest looks where he adds these over the top goth-meets-the-future elements. Staying true to his inspiration, McQueen even sends out two twins, paying homage to Kubrick's own addition to the movie that was highly sought out. The final scene in the movie makes the Torrance family endure bizarre and wild winds out in the snowy

woods. Similar snowy winds were recreated in the glass-box. It really is mesmerizing to have an entire vision clearly showcased in just the mere space of a glass-box.

McQueen titled this collection the "The Overlook". The name was clearly inspired by the name of the hotel in the book/movie. The real life hotel that actually inspired King was The Stanley hotel. A hotel so cryptic, it inspired not only one of the biggest best selling books, but one of the highest ranked McQueen collections.