McQueen Spring/Summer 2026 Embraces Primal Instinct and Dark Desire

By Jesse Scott

Sean McGirr curated chaos for his fourth collection as McQueen’s creative director, and the result was dark, devastating, and delightful. Inspired by the 1973 British folk-horror film Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy and featuring such stars as Edward Woodward and Ingrid Pitt, McQueen offered a sartorial response to the questions: “What happens when we give way [to nature], satisfying our deep-seated desires and innate impulses? What does it take to stir and submit to that primal drive?” An imposing maypole-style structure made of natural foliage, cork, and over 8000 meters of hessian ribbon stood in the center of the runway, as a reference to the iconoclastic flaming effigy responsible for one of the horror genre’s most disturbing and beloved scenes.

Against this backdrop, with an unforgettable A.G. Cook soundtrack combining folkloric and techno influences, McGirr debuted a series of looks that oscillated between impending doom and playful paganism with the same complexity and irony that epitomizes Hardy’s film. Jet black leather and dramatically fringed bags clashed with psychedelically colored floral constructions in an intense combustion of evocative and paradoxically complementary aesthetics (Look 35). Distressed details, heavy eyeliner, and strategic use of sheer gave the collection a sophisticated sexuality while also referencing the dark side of desire. And references to both Lee and Sarah Burton, which seem adeptly layered into each of McGirr’s offerings, added to the show’s particular Britishness. 

Military Details Meet Floral Motifs

Wicker Man is a movie of contrast and deception where nothing is quite what it seems. Human sacrifice is committed in the name of purity, barbarism co-exists with social harmony, and order exists in a state of anarchy. The McQueen show, layered with metaphorical references, was notable for similar paradoxical paradigms. Technical tailoring, a McQueen signature, was predominant. Shirts cinched tight at the waist introduced a surprising corsetry-inspired structure to familiar silhouettes. A dramatically fringed red dress and another with corset details (Looks 38, 39) spoke to a certain seductive danger. Yet there were also voluminously parachuting dresses of silk chiffon in a particular marigold yellow and a kaleidoscopic abstracted print (Looks 15, 48).

McQueen Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 38, 39, 15, 48 (Images courtesy of McQueen)

My personal favorite “capsule” within the collection involved military jackets and detailing. A white military jacket was worn open with a bralette and low-rise unbuttoned jeans (Look 12). Military detailing was incorporated asymmetrically as a sash on a ruffled dress (Look 16) and surprisingly on a cropped jacket in a delicate floral pattern. Golden shoulder epaulets appeared on a particular swoon worthy jacket (Look 30) paired with a silver pyramid-shaped purse that is one of the best and most innovative bags to appear this season.

McQueen Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 12, 16, 30 (Images courtesy of McQueen)

The imposing military structure was contrasted by brightly colored three-dimensional flowers appearing on dramatic tops. One of these, incorporating diverse materials such as chiffon and leather and paired with trousers and sandals with toe details, takes two weeks to make by hand. Another extended partially over the model’s face (Looks 34, 33) in a reference to flower wreaths that may be recognizable not only to fans of the Wicker Man but also to those of 2010’s Swedish film Midsommar.

McQueen Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 34, 33 (Images courtesy of McQueen)

McGirr Opens New Dialogue with Lee McQueen

As always, McGirr paid tribute to the house’s history by referencing some of its founder’s most iconic designs. This season saw the introduction of a wishbone charm on footwear in reference to Lee’s Spring/Summer 2003 rosary bead heels. The horn heel shape was also brought back from Spring/Summer 2023. Meanwhile, the star bag of the season was the Manta, a re-interpretation of the legendary De Manta bag from the house’s archives with corset lacing and dramatic fringes. Hand-sculpted talisman charms (including a particularly memorable pirate) and skull scarves accessorized some of the bags, while scissor, insect, and the wishbone charms added playful touches of folkloric pageantry to a diverse range of looks.

Leather, as always for McQueen, starred. A deadly red cropped jacket was paired with a sinuous skirt (Look 32) while a sumptuous black dress dangled off one shoulder with a sophisticated too-cool-to-care disheveledness (Look 8). And the make-up and hair, overseen by Daniel Sallstrom and Gary Gill respectively, added a gothic grunge sensibility that hinted at the future of McQueen while conversing with the brand’s origins.

McQueen Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 32, 8 (Images courtesy of McQueen)

As an elite guest list including Salma Hayek Pinault, Emily Lind, Adrien Greenblatt, and FKA Twigs filed out of the elaborately constructed venue, there was a sense that McGirr had, like the community in the Wicker Man, left us spellbound, seduced, and a little bit unnerved. Combining modern silhouettes with a nostalgic aesthetic, he deftly brought together past, present, and future while continuing to put his distinctive stamp on the brand. McQueen is now McGirr’s, and I look forward to seeing what immersive fantasy world he crafts next.

Kit Price, Mathilde Pinault,FKA Twigs, Ewan Mitchell, Ariana Greenblatt, Abigail Morris, Luca de Meo, and Anna Wintour are among the guests who attended the McQueen Spring/Summer 2026 runway show during Paris Fashion Week (Images courtesy of McQueen)