“Alexander’s vision of fashion relentlessly questioned the requisites of clothing.”
Alexander McQueen couldn’t be a better representative of how I feel towards fashion. He designs with favor to his highly developed visual palette, he doesn’t design for practicality. He doesn’t design to appeal to the mediocre, he designs to fuel the extraordinary. He doesn’t design for money, he designs to satisfy his immense craving for beauty. He is a perfect example of someone who truly can grasp and fulfill the meaning and purpose of fashion, a craft itself that many never hone.
Razor Clam Shell dress by Alexander McQueen – Voss, S/S 2001.
Take this beautiful, contoured dress for instance. It’s created using real razor clam shells found on a beach. How much simpler does it get than that? Lee didn’t use miles of rare, expensive fabrics. He utilized the beauty and gifts of Mother Nature, who was one of the many sources of inspiration for him, and who should be a huge inspiration to any designer. He created pieces that became legendary based on his miraculous artistic abilities, not on the material he used; and that is something that's truly commendable.
"I have always loved the mechanics of nature and to a greater or lesser extent my work is always informed by that."
Another thing that's so beautiful about McQueen's stunning work aesthetic is that he has such an open, free mind that draws inspiration from everything he sees. His perpetually wandering mind is what leads him to the production of his extraordinary creations, and that is evident through each and every season. This quote (above) really inspired me because I always assumed that designers only drew inspiration from significant occurrences such as wars, time periods, stereotypes and weather, to name a few. To know that one of Alexander McQueen's sources of inspiration is sitting on a telephone pole outside my window, basking in the morning Dublin sun is a confirmation that there are so many little fragments of beauty scattered around us which we don't notice; but all it takes is for us to slow down our lives a little and tilt our heads in the direction of the stars.
One of my favorite parts of the exhibition was the section that featured pieces from “Highland Rape,” a Fall collection from 2006. (Also categorized as “Romantic Nationalism.”) I was captivated by this entire section, and the as the haunting tune of “God Save The Queen” whistled in my ears, I could almost feel the biting Scottish wind snaking down my spine. I loved the recurring, patriotic appearance of red plaid; I think it placed each outfit into context. Because the outfits were so vastly different from each other, the print was one of the only elements that anchored each ensemble to a clear, common ground and a shared identity.
I remember standing in the doorway to the gift shop at the end of the exhibition, refusing to step out of Savage Beauty in fear of never returning. I spent lots of time in the exhibition taking misspelt notes on my iPod Touch, trying to condense everything in those magical rooms into words. I took a few sneaky pictures and in turn, developed an unwritten suspicion with the security guards who patrolled the vast rooms. Even after all that, I didn’t know how I could relive that hour I spent in there. As soon as I laid eyes on the Savage Beauty book, I knew I was willing to spend $45 on something that would help me relive my very own Alexander McQueen experience, over and over again. My perpetual concern of an overweight luggage kicked in, and I coolly brushed it off. This is Alexander McQueen we’re talking about, guys.
All Quotes taken from the Savage Beauty exhibition and the Savage Beauty book.
Images from the MetMuseum Blog, Google images, Style.com, and my own camera.
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