Derby scenes

This painting’s Depression-era seaside setting, acid colors, and jumbled bodies suggest frenetic derby scenes from They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and Deliverance, McQueen’s collection inspired by the 1969 film. The designer translated 1930s-style bias-cut dresses into looks that include competitor numbers. Jersey dresses worn by models stampeding to cross a finish line onstage represented a notable departure from McQueen’s signature tailoring. These knit-elastic ensembles allow the wearer an athlete’s freedom of movement. In Deliverance, the racetrack was suggestive of the seasonal pressure on designers to deliver new ideas, and the burnout experienced by many in the fashion industry.