Alexander McQueen: Saying Goodbye to a Fashion Great
By Denise Grayson February 12, 2010
Photo: WWD.com
Yesterday we received news that no one in the fashion world would have anticipated in their worst nightmares. Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London home at 10:20 a.m. having apparently hung himself. His mother, with whom he was very close, had passed away nine days earlier and it’s thought that he simply was not able to go on. Faced with having to finish his prêt-a-porter collection for his March 9th show at Paris fashion week, it appears the loss combined with the work stress and all that comes with being an exalted industry figure with a somewhat jaded view of the world, was just too much to bear. As Tim Blanks wrote on Style.com, her death “would have validated his pessimism. It would undoubtedly have taken away his most vital support.” Joyce McQueen’s funeral was to have taken place today.
Before the spring collections last fall McQueen made his first foray into social media using Twitter. He was a sporadic user of the technology but last week he sent a message to his followers announcing his mother’s passing, then adding “But life must go on!!!” A few days later he reached out again, saying “Sunday evening been a f***ing awful week but my friends have been great but now I have to somehow pull myself together and finish with the HELLS ANGELS & PROLIFIC DEAMONS.” This was to be his last communiqué to his fans. His account has since been taken down.
The brilliant and notoriously provocative British designer, known by his first name Lee to friends and family, came from modest beginnings in one of the poorer boroughs of east London. He was the youngest of his large family and his father was a taxi driver. At just three years old he drew his first “sketch” – a dress he scrawled on a wall behind some wallpaper that had come loose in his house. He carried on this practice of leaving his mark in clandestine spots, most notoriously in the lining of suits he made while apprenticing with Savile Row tailors – his first pursuit in fashion upon leaving school at 16 years old. He admitted in an interview that he had once sewn the words “I am a c***” into a suit destined for Prince Charles.
Photo: WWD.com
McQueen liked to use his work to shock, but it wasn’t without purpose. His collections and particularly his stunning and dramatic theatrical shows were designed to entertain, inspire, and compel us to think outside of our comfortable worlds, as he had done for himself through his self-directed education in art and culture. A live string quartet once provided the musical accompaniment directly from the catwalk and sometimes his presentation of the collection was like an art installation which required the viewer to interact with the space to see the clothes. And then there were two of his most memorable and awesome shows. One featured a hauntingly beautiful, ethereal hologram of a floating Kate Moss draped in fabric fluttering in the wind; the other climaxed when the robotic devices placed on either side of Shalom Harlowe who was rotating on a mechanical platform, taking on the role of a swan in distress with arms outstretched, rapidly and forcefully sprayed her clean white dress with paint, creating a spontaneous one-off piece in front of the stunned and gasping audience.
One might say he was sharing that which he found exciting and important; at the root of his larger-than-life, painstakingly planned spectacles could very well have been simply a sweet gesture. And then sometimes he was angry. His 1995 show “Highland Rape” which drew a slew of criticism from outraged spectators charging misogyny over models dressed in torn lace dresses with blood spattered skirts and hair in a state of disarray, was actually a reference to the “rape” of Scotland by the British, a subject that resonated deeply with the designer as his family roots are Scottish.
He also explored bondage and themes of decay, and his last fall collection depicted rather grotesquely made-up models with overdrawn, enlarged lips on ashen faces with blanked out eyebrows and concealed hair. His sculptural houndstooth garments set the trend for the classic checked pattern which dominated the look of the upcoming season but it was clear McQueen’s mind was not at ease when he created the concept for the show; he has said that his shows are a reflection of his state of mind at the time. He also drew criticism once again for misogyny, a claim he addressed back in 2000 in an interview with The Independent Fashion Magazine. He explained that his motivations behind the manner in which he conveys women is centred around his witnessing as a child violence against his sister: “Everything I’ve done since then was for the purpose of making women look stronger, not naïve, models are there to showcase what I’m about, nothing else. It’s nothing to do with misogyny.”
Would a great talent like Alexander McQueen, a visionary and true artist many admirers would say, be such a compelling force in fashion had he not stirred up the emotions and picked the brains of his patrons? Surely not. That’s what I’ll miss most.
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Submitted on February 12, 2010 in Industry News, Who's Who.
Denise is a Canadian living in England who is fascinated by the fusing of fashion and art. Her obsession with the details and an insatiable urge to share beautiful discoveries drives her Paris-loving blog, www.TheSwelleLife.com, and recently she opened Swelle Boutique at www.swelleboutique.com which offers exclusive one-off and limited edition dresses and accessories.
Denise Grayson has contributed 59 articles to Models & Moguls.
