FASHION TUESDAYS!!! - ALEXANDER McQUEEN

THE LEGACY OF ALEXANDER McQUEEN

Where should I start with this piece, oh the joy of stepping into a realm that so many have spoke upon already, but here goes, hope you guys appreciate what I learned and will be sharing about Lee Alexander McQueen. As we all know he was a British fashion designer, after he left school he served as an apprentice for Savile Row and it was while working there he had clients which included the likes of Prince Charles of his native England and President Mikhail Gorbachev of Russia just to name 2 well known world figures he was associated with in his early career. He then attended an Arts and Design school where he graduated with his masters degree in fashion and it was there popular stylist Isabella Blow bought out his entire graduation collection. She later on persuaded him to call himself by his middle name Alexander instead of using his first name when he eventually launched what is now considered an illustrious fashion career to say the least. 

I’ve had the pleasure of looking thru his collection which is very vast among other things and must say that although I may not be a fashion expert, you can see that he possessed a rare talent which makes him somewhat of a fashion genius and in my mind a very extraordinary trendsetter. A British columnist once said “McQueen’s early runway collections developed his reputation for controversy and shock tactics earning him the title “l’enfant terrible” which means “the hooligan of English fashion”. I personally think he didn’t really care what people thought of him because he knew the artistry skills that he possessed and transcended what he had in his mind onto the runway so everyone could experience his amazing creations just the way he pictured them. He was very innovative and conveyed fascinating work creations which eventually played a very influential role in broadening the scope and may I say boundaries of fashion…It’s as if he could make the dark and ugly looked beautiful and pretty and vice versa. 

A lot may also know that McQueen was openly gay and some may ask did this affect his sense of creativity? I would beg to differ, it more so probably made the ladies love him some more and become comfortable around him in my opinion…However, he did have a bit of rebellious streak in him but that should come as no surprise with how different he was… He said that “I am sure of myself and my sexuality and I’ve got nothing to hide. I went straight from my mother’s womb onto the gay parade”. You gotta respect a man who gives it to you plain and straight. In the summer of 2000, McQueen married close friend and partner George Forsyth but the union didn’t last too long, less than 2 years to be exact…But it wasn’t all bad because later that fall he entered into a partnership with Gucci where he became its new fashion designer. 

McQueen has won awards for “British Designer of the Year”, which he won numerous times and also “International Designer of the Year” just to name a few. He has impacted fashion in so many ways and one that was interesting to me was that his “bumster”, which appeared in 1996 spawned the creation of low-rise jeans, which I didn’t know. He has designed for numerous celebrities that have graced the cover of magazines, runways, red carpets, videos, shows such as Janet Jackson, Gweneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sandra Bullock, and he has designed for even Bjork the singer. He did her album cover and her video, and let’s not to forget about Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga is the one that made me actually hear the name Alexander McQueen from her outrageous award shows outfits..He wasn’t scared to incorporate birdcages, butterflies, antlers, feathered wigs or even the famous towering “armadillo” shoes that Gaga wore in one of her videos…I must note that he was versatile at what he did because even the 1st lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama has donned the designer creations..Now that’s remarkable. 

Tragic news hit the fashion industry on February 11, 2010. McQueen killed himself just days after his mother died in his London home…We all knew he would be missed because he was an icon in fashion and when it comes to fashion week, its just not the same without his presence. He has left a legacy that will last a lifetime and also a void which can never be filled although many will try. His attention to detail and work ethic still inspires young and upcoming designers and will for a long time coming…The man who got his originality from his dreams surely impacted a generation,, His work is still being put on exhibition and recently up until last week The Metropolitan Museum of Art here in New York honored his work by displaying over 150 designs at an exhibition titled “Savage Beauty”..He is gone but truly not forgotten..We may not agree with his styles, his methods, his mindset, or even his sexuality but we all can agree that he was one of the greatest fashion designers of this era…