Then again, perhaps McGirrs air of calm is merely relative.
TURNING HEADSMcGirr, now a year into his tenure at McQueen.
Ive been busy wearing a lot of McQueen, he says.
BLUE SKY THINKINGFrom far left: Producer and singer-songwriter Florence Sinclair, model Celina Ralph, gallerist Oyinkansola Dada, and model Sacha Quenby mix it up in McGirr’s twisty subversions of traditional English tailoring. Fashion Editor: IB Kamara. Photographed by Campbell Addy.Vogue, Winter 2025.
If hes disarmingly warm, though, hes also exacting.
It was the greatest test of endurance hes ever been through.
Shed be like: Fucking do the job.
TURNING HEADSMcGirr, now a year into his tenure at McQueen.
TALL ORDERSinclair wears a winsome lace blouse and a silvery drop earring modeled after an English rosea house signature.
I want heart attacks.
I want ambulances.)
SHEER FORCEActor Raffey Cassidy, seen in the filmThe Brutalist,wears an embroidered tulle halter-neck dress from McQueen; alexandermcqueen.com (here and throughout).
Its not overtlysexyat alland I think thats really modern.
Theres this confidence in his line drawing that is likewowits razor sharp, almost architectural.
Were about to begin, she whispers.
TALL ORDERSinclair wears a winsome lace blouse and a silvery drop earring modeled after an English rose—a house signature.
just, take your seat.
He likes a kind of monarch butterfly printVery McQueen, no?
he says, holding it up for me to inspectless so the malachite, which he finds too Gucci.
CHAIN OF COMMANDQuenby in the scintillating closing dress from McQueen’s spring collection.
Hes notopposedto a pair of flame sunglasses, he adds, with his dimpled grin.
If youth is a creative touchstone for McGirr, its also worth noting how much he respects experience.
His aim is to use their technical mastery to bring a frisson of daring back to British fashion.
THRILLS AND FRILLSA mélange of frolicsome textures—heavy-duty gold embroidery, shredded tulle, silk faille, heritage lace—takes flight.
I think of McQueen as a lab for experimentation, for creativity.
(I was like, Oh my God! )
Its during this period, too, that he really began to embrace his sexuality.
AIR APPARENTModel Sara Caballero wears a washed-silk chiffon dress, adroitly draped and finished with delicate lace trim.
Im so happy to be gay, he tells me.
I feel like its my obligation to represent gay people, speak for them, and support them.
CHAIN OF COMMANDQuenby in the scintillating closing dress from McQueens spring collection.
STREET SMARTSActor Samuel Adewunmi, last seen in the seriesQueenie,wears a double-breasted jacket, tuxedo trousers, and leather sneakers.
That scholarship kept him going financially.
The atmosphere in McGirrs McQueen studio is markedly democratic.
Its one of the reasons why Pinault felt instinctively that he would be right for the job.
WELL SUITEDCaballero wears McQueen; alexandermcqueen.com.
Sean exemplifies a new generation of creativity in British fashion, he says.
And yet McGirr sees art and fashion as distinct entities.
Im not making clothes for a museum, McGirr tells me more than once.
Its really important that people wear things.
THRILLS AND FRILLSA melange of frolicsome texturesheavy-duty gold embroidery, shredded tulle, silk faille, heritage lacetakes flight.
Theres still plenty of room for lightness in McGirrs universe, though.
I give a shot to figure out how much time hes actually had.
McGirr replies thoughtfully and sensitively when I mention it.
Theres not that many of us that have these voices in the industry.
McGirrs pleasure in dressingwhether others or himselfremains intact.
Among the McQueen old guard to have rallied around McGirr back on home shores: milliner Philip Treacy.
He was like, People hated Lee, McGirr says.
[Lee and Isabella] were rebelliousbut without being arrogant.
McGirr is in no way arrogant, but he is resolute.
AIR APPARENTModel Sara Caballero wears a washed-silk chiffon dress, adroitly draped and finished with delicate lace trim.
I was like, Im sorry!
I just made a dress!
We both, weirdly, have tartans, he addsalthough McQueens, he says, is way more chic.
(Sometimes, he adds, you need a good stomp.)
Still, hes under no illusions about the fact that business is everything in fashion now.
Now everything is based on monetary success.
Do I think thats a shame?
Kind ofbut its important to acknowledge it and understand the times were living in.
He is, by his own admission, a bit of a workaholicthats just what I like to do.
WELL SUITEDCaballero wears McQueen; alexandermcqueen.com.
I find myself wondering whether any of this has proved a lifeline since last October.
His response is measured, but moving.
Youre always going to have noise.
We say our goodbyes, and hes swallowed by the ground traffic of Soho.
Then McGirr has Mr. Pinault to thank and talking points to rehash about his mood boards for various newspapers.
I find my way to her and ask what, exactly, she makes of this rapture.
Well, McGirr for McQueen, she says, pausing and smiling in spite of herself.
You have to admit: Its got a nice ring to it.
