My love of Alexander McQueen's designs and my despair over his death has been well documented on this site- I've been a passionate fan of his since early in his career when iD and The Face were the only magazines covering his wild antics. Though I have never been able to afford many of his pieces, those that I own have been well loved. To say that I was moved by his final collection would be putting it very mildly. Hauntingly beautiful the pieces in this collection were made from the sixteen patterns he had finished and the fabrics he had chosen prior to his death. McQueen's interest in Medieval and Renaissance paintings formed the basis of the collection from the hand-loomed jacquard fabrics of angels and demons from van der Goes and Bosch, to the soft gray chiffon gowns with Boticelli cartoons floating over the body. Every aspect seems so well thought out and purposeful that it seems incredible that this is an unfinished collection- what else would McQueen have been able to do had he lived?
The video above, from Fashionista.com, vividly captures many of the details of the collection that are lost in the photos. His runway pieces rarely went into production so this will likely be the only opportunity to see these designs so close up, though I would love for this collection to be put up as an exhibition or given to a museum. Now that PPR has decided to keep the Alexander McQueen label alive it will be interesting to see what happens with it. Gareth Pugh has been put forward as a possible replacement, but, while I like and would wear his clothes, they do not inspire me. He also lacks McQueen's exquisite understanding of colour and embellishment, which brought his already immaculate tailoring and draping to another level. Olivier Theyskens could possibly work, but I honestly hope one of McQueen's assistants, someone who truly understands his vision, is chosen to be head designer.
All photos from Style.com; video from Fashionista.com.
share your adoration for McQueen. i don't normally get so sad over the loss of celebrities, but his passing has really left sorrow in my heart. I think that for people with our taste, Alexander McQueen was a source of inspiration, while out of our price range, met our needs for beauty, edge, and thought. While he wasn't commercial by any means, yet I could see myself wearing any of his creations. Sigh. Thanks for the beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing collection, really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteamen amen amen. Only someone who has worked closely with McQueen and been a participant in his wildly inventive, completely insane designs could ever hope to emulate his success and triumphs. McQueen was a master tailor and I would prefer to see someone who has that skill take the helm. Only someone with that classical training could do it - you have to know the form to break it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see this post earlier. You and I seem to be on the same page regarding possible successors. I hope that they promote someone from within the design house. But if this isn't the case, I also thought Theyskens would be more befitting than Pugh. Besides, I'm going through a Theyskens withdrawal. I need more of him in my life.
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