“It feels like now is a time for healing, for breathing new life, for exploring echoes from the past to enrich our future. More than ever, a sense of humanity, of the team working together with a single aim—to make something beautiful, something meaningful—feels both precious and important,” said Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen of her fall/winter 2021 collection.

This idea of creating something beautiful and meaningful reflected itself throughout the tightly edited collection. There were the exaggerated, rounded silhouettes, first seen in the spring/summer 2021 collection, the otherworldly prints of anemones floating across diaphanous poly faille gowns with gigot-sleeves, and the transformation of workaday denim into strong, structured dresses. 

Related: The Best Looks From Pre-Fall 2021: Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Balenciaga and More

Of her inspiration, Burton said, “We looked at water, for its healing properties, and at anemones. Anemones are the most ephemeral flowers, here made permanent in cloth. The women wearing the anemone dresses almost become like flowers, like their embodiment, their character—but amplified, grounded, radiant and strong.”

The accompanying campaign, shot by the inimitable Paolo Roversi, evoke the transcendental quality of the collection, which are sure to make their way into the wardrobes of discerning collectors who appreciate Burton’s marriage of haute couture techniques and art.

Here, see the eight dreamy dresses from Alexander McQueen fall/winter 2021 that captured our imaginations.

Related: The Drop: The Hottest Fashion Launches in June 2021