Courtsey of www.shaunleane.com

Shaun Leane:
The Coiled corset, this was something totally different as this was the garment in a way, this was the piece. When I thought about how I was going to make this piece I knew I had to forge it around something solid and hard so I could make the piece, so I said, I’m going to need a model that I can work with for the next 2 3 months, she has to walk the show she has to be the one to wear it. And he [Lee] said, Laura is our fit model, Laura’s your girl.

Laura Morgan:
Fit modelling, I was there from the concept all the way through to sales really, so I pretty much tried on on every single piece of clothing that did and didn’t make it to the show or the shops from the very beginning of design.

Shaun:
They would fit, well they would sculpt around you really. They would come up with the designs and fit them on Laura throughout the whole process of developing the collection. To make sure they looked right and felt right and obviously it’s very different seeing the clothing on the human form then it is so see it on a mannequin or obviously a flat drawing.
We made the corset fit Laura’s body shape exactly and there was an element of, please try not to put any weight on, and there was no contract or anything but there was a very polite please try not put any weight on.

Laura:
I remember breathing and when your chest rose you could feel it against the metal and you were just so aware of yourself.

Shaun:
I’ve worked on other shows before but the back stage at a McQueen show the energy was totally different.

Laura:
I think it’s because it is so theatrical, they’re such amazing pieces and the girls with Lee’s clothes and Shaun’s pieces, you really could get into this character.

Shaun:
And I would turn up with boxes, boxes and boxes of things, and I’m sure the girls would look and think, what has he got in there? What’s he going to do to us? What are we going to be wearing? But then I would pull out these beautiful things , and I think, I personally feel, correct me if I’m wrong, but I always thought that the girls wanted to wear what I had created, because they were so unique and quite a statement. And there was always be an envy to see who was wearing what and who got “the thing”. And I remember putting you into that corset and catching some of the eyes of the girls and thinking that she got the finale piece, she got the big piece. After the show he came up to me and said your piece, blew me away and it was really, it was a real moment. Because I knew that meant a lot, and he didn’t say that often, and he said, “your piece in the show, it really blew me away”, and that was clarification of all the hard work. And that’s what we did for Lee, we wanted to make sure we did the best we could.