Shop the interactive Alexander McQueen Fall 2018 RTW collection, the magical transformation of femininity.

A strong shoulder, narrow waist and exaggerated hip – forms the backbone of this collection, juxtaposed with fragile, feminine languor: fringes, drapes and curves. Black wool silk jackets are deconstructed, lined with panels of intense red duchess, draped at the hem with lace or with butterfly printed silks and trailing threads. Wide tuxedo trousers in satin fall to the floor. Bonded leather dresses are raw cut and draped. More butterflies unfold across shredded velvet fil coupé jacquards – their fragile wings are engineered to wrap perfectly around the bold silhouette of a coat.

The colors and markings of the Glasswing are ethereal: eau de nil, bone. Vibrant by contrast are mirrored, kaleidoscopic Painted Lady butterfly prints, splashed with color and suggestive of flight. Pink Morpho butterflies shimmer on translucent jersey dresses harnessed to the torso with supple leather corsetry.

Boldly striped shirt-dresses are pieced and patched. A military influence is seen in handsome great coats, capes and horse blankets in soft cashmere edged with lust red jacquard stripes. The overblown line and padded volume of quilted down leather jackets – zipped at the waist and in nuanced shades of field and bottle green or bone – mimic silk butterfly cocoons. Roll necks are ribbed, slashed and laddered, held together with metal eyelets and lacing. Dappled scarf dresses feature erotic cut outs and elongated, fringed, open cuffs. Three-dimensional Goliath beetles, are hand-embroidered onto tulle with black and ivory sequins, facetted glass beads and French cup sequins. A magnified beetle print appears across asymmetric silk satin dresses. Floating butterfly gowns in flamingo pink and black silk nylon cloqué dégradé jacquard are dip-dyed by hand and have fringed, voluminous, feather-light trains.