Sarabande (collection)

Sarabande is the twenty-ninth collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, released for the Spring/Summer 2007 season of his eponymous fashion house. Sarabande was an exploration of fragility and decaying grandeur expressed through floral motifs. It was primarily inspired by Barry Lyndon (1975), a film set in the eighteenth century and known for its themes of fatalism and romanticism. Elements of the traditional clothing of Mexico and Spain appeared alongside an exaggerated hourglass silhouette updated from the Edwardian era. The palette was muted, with washed-out dark colours, off whites, and muted pinks and purples, reflecting traditional English mourning colours.

The runway show was staged on 6 October 2006 at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris. The set was designed to resemble an abandoned wood-floored theatre with a round stage. A chamber orchestra was seated on the stage in two groups facing one another, with a large glass chandelier hung between them. The orchestra played a new version of a sarabande by George Frideric Handel known for appearing in Barry Lyndon; the collection takes its name from the musical style. Forty-six looks were presented. The last dress was covered with silk and fresh flowers, which, having been hastily sewn on, began falling off on the runway, creating what critics regarded as a moment of serendipitous beauty.

Response to Sarabande was positive, with reviewers feeling that it was a successful follow-up to McQueen's previous season. It is recalled as one of his defining collections. Academic analysis has considered the collection's influences and the floral finale dresses. Items from the collection have appeared in exhibitions like the retrospective Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.