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Rest in peace, Alexander McQueen.

As thousands of others have and will continue to, I just wanted to express a few words on the unfortunate passing of this genial human being. Attempting to put it into words may well be futile, but for the man who's presentations have moved me to tears, multiple times, I will try.

There are aesthetic geniuses, there are undeniable talents... basically, there are a lot of people out there who are good at at expressing their visions. However, it's so rare for someone to possess the ability to articulate it to an audience through an intense and successful visual translation, the way he could. So rare to be able to leave such an impact on the viewers, or in his case, the overall experience-r, because with McQueen, it was never just about making pretty clothes.

In an overwhelmingly superficial, catty and shallow industry, this man put on some of most heartfelt presentations that we have seen, and as of today, will ever see again. Some of them were disturbing, some were pristine, some outrageous and some too poetic and beautiful to put into words - but no matter their tone, they were always so unique, so powerful and so magical. He provided us unique experiences, installations and conveyed moods and visions that took us to another place in time, entirely, which is a talent far and above what most clothing designers can only dream to possess.

His collections before and particularly in the early 2000's were inexplicably gorgeous; the concepts were always different, bizarre and beautiful and afterward left such an impression on the viewer. I was personally moved to tears by a few of them, something which another designer has ever evoked in me before or since. Not to knock his work in the recent years, but the level of whimsicality was turned down and he seemed to gravitate toward a more futuristic and flashy approach. I wasn't sure why the evolution, but it was clear that while his visions shifted, his passion, volume and determination to articulate his vision never seemed to waiver.

While it's no secret that the most deeply creative people are often the most tormented, it is absolutely tragic when the world loses these special souls, who's creations touch so many lives. McQueen, like many, was probably filled with an inescapable darkness and terror, which can only be soothed by a few special people we are fortunate enough to cross paths with in life. Once those people are taken away from our lives, it can become impossible, and pointless, to continue the struggle of living.

On this sad day, as cliche as it is, I can only hope that he has finally found the peace that he deserves. His work will always live on, his presentations and vision will always remain unmatched and his legacy will continue to bless and haunt all who encounter his brilliant creations. May his soul finally be free.

Alexander McQueen Spring 2001

I haven’t done a retrospective entry in a while. I think the Hussein Chalayan one back in January was the last one… and before that I’d been steadily posting one older collection per month. So, time to get back on track, and what better to bring it back with some of Alexander McQueen’s early days in the spotlight?

My level of long-term fangirl-ism for McQueen is up there with my chronic cases of adoration for others, such as Yohji, Miyake, etc. But what sets McQueen apart to the special place in my heart all his own is, without a doubt, his earlier runway presentations and conceptual collections. The sheer panic I felt when he started releasing toned down, princess-y collections with standard presentations… as well as the joy I felt for F/W 09.10, are both direct results of just knowing the sheer power of McQueen’s creative drive. He’s always done things so much differently than others, and as you can see in the visuals accompanying this post – he’s had such an obvious impact on many designs we’re seeing today, from the new breed, so to speak.

I used to worry that if he didn’t return to his initial allure somehow or at least bring it back and incorporate it with the McQueen we’ve come to know today, that his early days would eventually be lost like a footprint after new snowfall… and that would be a tragic thing.

There are a ton of collections from about 10 years ago, give or take, which can show the magical essence of McQueen but there’s one that came to mind as most imperative: Spring 2001.

The presentation is everything McQueen encompasses; it’s dramatic, beautiful, a bit frightening, expressive and really embodies the lovely contradiction of severe fragility, which he’s always done so well. Everything from the psuedo-psych ward setting to the theatrics of the models, is completely awe-inspiring.

Enough about the presentation, because frankly, it speaks for itself. The clothing has to be mentioned as well. Looking at old McQueen collections, I find a lot of stimulation; they’re impressive, so far ahead of their time, so distinct. Also amusing a bit, as you can make sort of a game out of naming off the dresses which newer and more unoriginal designers have since ripped off. :p

The styling is another special element… the hospital headbands juxtaposed with the delicate and elegant dresses mimic the overall theme of a demented, tortured beauty. I love when designers create an entire concept – an entire world – around a collection… and of this, McQueen is undeniably one of the masters.

If you loved this and hadn’t seen it before, go ahead and check the rest of McQueen’s work from the late 1990’s until about Spring 2007. So inspiring.

Alexander McQueen Fall 2009

Whatever it was that reignited the fire under McQueen’s ass this season… let us be thankful for it. I used to look forward to his collections like a kid on Christmas morning and it was always so exciting. However, in the last handful of years, they’ve been on a slow decline… save for Spring 2007 which was amazing beyond belief.

To be honest, yesterday when I was rechecking the Paris schedule for today and tomorrow… for the first time ever, when I scanned by his name, I didn’t even know how to feel. It was sort of depressing, given how, a few years ago my anticipation level and faith in him were off the charts. Not to say spring’s collection was that bad because it wasn’t, but it lacked the severity and drama. It was sort of sitting midway on a seesaw, and this season could have either been really great… or an unfortunate return to the fairy princess madness and thankfully it was not the latter.

The presentation is of course fabulous. The Leigh Bowery references – the makeup as well as some of the design elements – are really great. He really took it and ran with it and gave us all back what we’ve been missing dearly. It’s wonderful to see some of that old rebellion, severity and twisted beauty get injected back into the veins his work.

There are so many amazing dresses and jackets in here that I don’t even know where to start. I am sure the images speak for themselves for the most part, but there is so much goodness going on that I have to mention a few of my favorite bits. First, I am loving how he has done some variations of his older designs by reworking and updating them. Perhaps it’s a big fuck you response to all of the people who were saying that Pugh had essentially replaced him… because there is graphic work going on like we haven’t seen in a long time from him. Or maybe that’s not why at all, but whatever the reason, I am grateful and I am loving it.

As always, his textures are intimidatingly good and the garments are executed to perfection. Another one of the best parts, though, are the silhouettes. We’ve seen them before and they’ve been done astoundingly well then, too, but to see them via a long awaited return, of course, makes them look just that much better.

Alexander McQueen Menswear Spring 2009

It’s that time of the year already! Menswear fashion week is upon us… well, Milan’s anyhow. I am eagerly awaiting Paris’ as always but I was pleasantly surprised with McQueen’s Milan showing yesterday. I wasn’t sure what to expect after last year’s collection, which was a veritable train wreck of polar bears, wild west hobo-ness, tartan and to top it all off, literally, greasy looking ancient Roman style hairdo’s. I am not sure if my attraction to this collection has more to do with relief than actually loving it, but either way, it’s definitely got many high points for me.

I think it’s very similar to Prada menswear of last season, in using the nude tones very prominently. However, where as Miuccia used the nude as entire pieces, McQueen seems to use it here to play up and distort the silhouette a bit and as more of an accent to create interesting shapes. The gradient effects are also wonderful, I love the men’s and women’s looks which have it; really interesting line patterns. I also adore the use of metallics. They are used as accents and I think the fluidity or smoke-like patterns they seem to flow in are really nice as well as the lining of the blazers with a bold metallic.

It’s as close as we’ve gotten in a while to a streamlined, wearable and most importantly: appealing collection since about S/S07 from McQueen. I don’t love everything but I think he surely deserves some credit for this one.