Alexander McQueen

He was the periodic 'it' boy the in delusional fashion world, OP. There was really no reason for the hype. He wasn't Chanel or de la Renta or Valentino. That said however, some of his gowns are stunningly beautiful. I remember the one Michelle Obama wore at the state dinner for China. It really was so beautiful. But so much of his stuff was more weird and 'art school edgy' than it was real couture. Then again, I'm no fashionista.

STOP!

In the name of love.

Stella McCartney bumped him off!

OP=Michael Kors.

I'm the ACTUAL designer of this dress!

Clothing as art.

Difficult to wrap your dizzy little brains around, I know.

“Fashion, in my opinion, is not art. People can say, and I have these conversations a lot of times, ‘Oh, its so artistic. It’s so creative.’ Sure, it has artistic flare and it definitely is a creative industry, but unless it has some commercial success, then I don’t think it has success. Making clothes just for the sake of making clothes that either hang on a rack or in someone’s closet but never actually end up on a consumer in a store, I don’t think that’s success. I think that the creativity and the commerce need to be together and I think that is something that American designers are not shy about. Fashion’s a business so you have to sell clothes. I think there’s no shame in being a commercial brand and being successful commercially.

“I know lots of times runway is editorially driven to get press and attention, but what the buyers are buying might not even be what’s on the runway. It might be the more commercial collection that buyers are going to see in the showrooms or after shows, so you have to be creative in your business, but you have to be commercial to be successful.”

Hmm... I'd wear it.

[R8] - That frock is absolutely remolting!

He was an incredibly iconic designer during his time. Made a lot of bold statements that lots of other designers were inspired by (or copied...)

Part of his appeal was his tailoring. Before he went to fashion school, he apprenticed at some high-end Saville Row suit makers -- one of them made suits for Prince Charles -- and he was especially gifted at it. The execution of his designs was exquisite, and stood out from other designers' work. It was also incredible detailed, which added to the cost. He also created a new silhouette that was adopted by the industry: the bombaster, pants that sit very low on the waist. Most designers never design a silhouette that the entire industry embraces; he did it in his early 20's. Plus, his work was really beautiful. I used to hate it, thinking it was all just flash and smoke and mirrors and antler horns and ripped fabric, but I read a few books about him, then sought out some videos of his shows, and looked at his clothes online. Once you look past the intentional weirdness, his clothes were just flat out gorgeous, and unlike anything you'l see from anyone else. THe industry lost a talent when he died.

That's a lot of dress!

[quote]Sure, it has artistic flare

Oh, dear.

Hopefully someone could educate me about their differences.

When I'm looking at a lot of McQueen's work I can't help but get a Balenciaga feel. Did he ever work for that house?

R11nails it.

Google Alexander McQueen Runway Shows videos on YouTube.

Also just google his fashion.

He was as good as any of the Master Couturiers who'd worked for decades. Lagerfeld, Valentino, De Larenta, YSL, Fath, Balenciaga, Dior, Gaultier, Galliano, La Criox, McQueen these and a small handful of others are, in my opinion,the Masters.

Everyone else are sportswear designers. Bespoke tailoring (sewing & pattern-making) IS an art. It's supposed to look effortless.

McQueen was a visionary. I'm really hoping that the upcoming film pays at least some attention to his technical talent & the frocks. It seems more likely the filmmakers will focus on the more salacious aspects of his personal life, deviant gay sex & drug use etc.

All marketing and no talent.

Anybody who saw McQueen's retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum wouldn't be asking such silly questions. His stuff was GORGEOUS.

Classic PTSD eyes:

He was very talented and discovered at a young age by Isabella Blow, who was very influential in the fashion world. Isabella also offed herself after several unsuccessful attempts.

Why did she euthanize herself?

Or did she really?

R18 PTSD from what?

His father R21?

If one isn't a combat vet it's often the result of traumatic abuse as a child/adolescent.

It was for me & an ex of mine.

Oh, and R16 is a fucking idiot.

Gorgeous

Beautiful

He was a hack.

And that Obama gown st r23 was made AFTER he died.

[quote]He was a hack.

And you're a fucking moron.

His Spring/Summer 2007 show is exquisite, absolutely stunning!

R11 here again. Anyone who says his clothes aren't beautiful are just looking at the off-putting antlers and random stuff that just gets in the way. Look at the clothes. They are flat out beautiful. (YEs, some were designed to provoke, but they were just made for the runway.) He was inspired by birds, which manifested itself in his use of feathers and bones. And I don't think he had PTSD. He had a rough childhood because he was dirt poor and his father and brothers were uber-straight, but he was also loved by his family. There was no major stress other than growing up gay and poor and artistic in that world.

r28, c'mon. He killed himself. Most suicides are based on strained family relationships. He suffered from severe depression. That doesn't come from a happy childhood or loving family dynamic.

R29. R28 here. My family couldn't love me more. I grew up with a fair measure of affluence. I had a charmed life by any measure. I am well educated. And I've tried to kill myself. Depression and a desire to just leave are not always because of a strained family relationships or an unhappy childhood. Plus, McQueen did a lot of drugs, which are depressives. He also was tired from having to produce show after show after show. It's too easy to say he hilled himself because of strained family relationships and an unhappy childhood, but things are never that simple. I know that firsthand.

And add to that the fashion industry.......It's not the most accepting, open environments for people with mental health issues.

His depression worsened after his mother died, they were very close.

Important stuff!

What happened to the money.

Wendy Leigh, celebrity ghostwriter, also offed herself after her mother died, told friends she could no longer bear the grief.

Isabella Blow'a suicide and the death of his mother in quick succession was too much for him to bear. He killed himself shortly thereafter.

Depression is no joke. It's true that a great deal of depressions are based on past family related trauma. However they can also come from performance anxiety (you must always succeed or else you are a failure / So many people rely on me / I need to succeed or they will all laugh at me) which can come from self worth issues which may or may not be family related after all. And with each new success the expectations rise and rise and the anxiety becomes intolerable and overwhelming.

He would have lived longer if he'd stayed fat and just stayed addicted to junk food.

Sharp.

r25 Fuck off chicken dipper.

Just want to echo R17. I brought a friend to the exhibit who knew and cared nothing about fashion, had never heard of McQueen, and doesn't own much clothing not made of denim or flannel. He was blown away.

I didn't think fashion was art until I saw the Savage Beauty show at the Met. He was a genius.

wasn't that red Michelle Obama gown done by his successor Sarah whats-her-name who also did Kate Middleton's droll wedding dress? Any recent designs weren't actually done by Lee McQueen.

@R43

Mrs. Obama's dress was actually designed by McQueen's successor and former assistant Sarah Burton.

I think the "fashion world" is like the "art world"- The huge bucks are there because the higher echelons of the market are a money laundering racket.

It was those monstrous shoes I could never forgive him for.

R11 has it right. I have a jacket of his and it's just exquisitely made--blue and grey diagonal stripes, but hidden away on the inside edge, is this little bit of red. The jacket would be fine without that detail, but that bit of red just kind of kicks it up a notch. Also, the craftsmanship is wonderful. I have some other designer ready-to-wear--and the McQueen stands out in how well it's made.

Is there anything duller than high fashion and it's slavish hysterical devotees?

The Alexander McQueen at the MET, which I saw twice and would have gone again if it hadn't been for the insane crowds, was one of the most inspiring and awe producing art exhibitions I've ever seen. Yes, it was art.

Alexander McQueen was a genius, I have an exquisite pink and grey calfskin bag made by him just before he died.

Einstein was a genius. Virginia Woolf was a genius. Mozart was a genius.

Alexander McQueen was not a genius.

Your opinion R51. McQueen was a handsome, talented, fashion icon. An artistic visionary who gave the world...beauty.

Gone much too soon.

Wow. His lips looked so kissably lush and plush. A sensitive soul whose creative GENIUS are lost to us. RIP Alexander.

Anyone who can tickle an awestruck reaction out of people is a visionary artist in my book. Alexander McQueen was an amazing artist.

Wow...

That looks like a Project Runway dress at R54...

This was a lot of work

Visionary, original and brilliant.

You could just see Adele Bloch-Bauer in that stunning dress,R56 .McQueen's clothes are timeless. Lush.

HA, R58! You wonder if this painting could have been part of his inspiration along with butterflies.

"McQueen," the documentary about him is in theaters now. I saw it today and was a bit underwhelmed. It did focus a lot on his work but was vague on his personal life.

What kind of drugs did he like?

I had two dealings with him and he seemed so normal and kind of shy. Very polite, very working class. I saw him chose in about two minutes two pairs of sun glasses at a place where I worked. Most people can't see how things look on themselves and can take up to about half an hour to chose but his eye for it was spot on. Those low-arsed trousers however, you couldn't walk up stairs!

The press made him more than he was because of his weird background. His clothes were shit. He was a terrible person. But he killed himself b/c his mother passed away, so he's a saint now.

[quote] What kind of drugs did he like?

Cocaine.

He was a hugely arrogant jerk.

The doc was great. Startled by his shows...was that Shalom whose dress was sprayed?

[quote]His clothes were shit.

I soooo disagree!

[quote]Startled by his shows...[bold]was that Shalom whose dress was sprayed?[/bold]

Yes. A rather iconic fashion show moment.

Bold!

Its fun to listen to “Doll on a Music Box” from “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang while Shalom twirls.

Some of his goth sensibility looks dated right now, in part because he was widely imitated. But his clothes at their best are extraordinary. One of my favorites is the jacket made of duck feathers painted gold, shown in the second picture of this review of the 'Savage Beauty' exhibit.