Alexander McQueen's $6,490 Anemone dress leaves internet confused

Late Alexander McQueen's fashion house recently released a dress from their Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, which retails for $6,490. The dress is based on sea creatures known as anemones, which multiple dresses from the collection also mirror.

The Anemones collection from Alexander McQueen seemingly tries to raise awareness for climate change's effect on sea life. The vibrant color, which gives off a bleeding effect, is based on the excessive bleaching of anemones due to climate change raising the temperature of the seawater.

However, the $6,490 Dropped shoulder Anemone Print dress from the collection looks like blood splatter due to its dark red color. The dress is currently being sold at Alexander McQueen's official website and theyes.com, amongst others. It is available in sizes IT 38 (US Sizes 2-4), IT 40 (US Sizes 4-6), and IT 42 (US Size 8). The dress also appears to be only available in the USA for shipping, directly from Alexander McQueen.

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What were the fashion house's thoughts behind the unique designs of the collection?

Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2021 (Image via Paolo Roversi./ Alexander McQueen)

The creative director of the collection from Alexander McQueen fashion house, Sarah Burton, mentioned on their website:

"We looked at water, for its healing properties, and at anemones. Anemones are the most ephemeral flowers, here made permanent in cloth."

She further added,

"The women wearing the anemone dresses almost become like flowers, like their embodiment, their character – but amplified, grounded, radiant and strong."

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Reactions to Alexander McQueen's $6,490 Anemone dress

While some may argue that the anemone print dresses look unique and portray the intended message behind the collection, the internet seemed to disagree. Followers of the brand on Twitter and Instagram were confused by the anemone print and assumed it was a blood-splatter pattern on first looks.

Several followers even commented on the misunderstood and unintentional slavery aspect of the $6,490 dress. A few statements by followers claimed that the model's ethnicity wearing the dress might portray a different story altogether. Some insensitive comments drew comparisons to how the dress gave off the vibe of an injured slave's look.

Instagram comments about the dress (1) (Image via theshaderoom/ Instagram)

Instagram comments about the dress (2) (Image via theshaderoom/ Instagram)

Other dresses in Alexander McQueen's fall/winter collection follow a similar anemone pattern. However, those are likely to be not as direly misinterpreted as the $6490 dropped shoulder dress. Other anemone-based dresses give off the vibe of a floral bleeding pattern with their respective red and pink hues.