EVENT: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY
Date: May 4 - July 31, 2011
Location: Metropolitan Museum, New York
When iconic British fashion designer and leading couturier, Lee Alexander McQueen, died just days before last year’s London Fashion Week – it was as if the entire world became grey and without colour. The fashion world mourned the loss of one of the world’s most innovative designers in the lead-up to Britain’s premier fashion event.
A year after his death, McQueen’s legacy continues on without him. Though the Alexander McQueen fashion house that has succeeded him thrives – its usual shine has clearly dimmed with the loss of its founder and creative director.
In celebration of his life and vision, the Alexander McQueen label and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, have collaborated together on an exhibition that will proudly pay homage to McQueen’s legacy. The exhibit, aptly titled, ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’, will showcase a hundred of McQueen’s finest, most eclectic, garments for the world to see.
The exhibit will highlight a diverse range of McQueen designs; from his earliest work as a graduate of Central St. Martins, through to his time as Chief Designer at Givenchy, until the launch of his namesake label. Every piece featured will be a collective experience of the playful, colourful, exotic, radical and inspirational – it will be sheer McQueen. And being McQueen classics, there won’t be a single dull piece there.
Famed for his designs and his constant reinvention and conception of the classic with the modern, Lee McQueen was known for his extravagance; for his imagination and complexity; his intricately-detailed tailoring; his ingenuity; and for his unconventional runway shows that always brimmed with raw, irrepressible, energy.
He was a fashion powerhouse, having dominated the worldwide fashion scene for over 30 years. McQueen’s industry achievements included four British Designer of the Year Awards, amongst a number of other accolades, as well as the title of International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers in 2003.
McQueen was best known for his ability to pioneer trends, and to meld an innovative fragile sophistication and edgy identity into his collections. His talent for engineering cutting-edge designs drew him international acclaim and the unspoken title of being a contemporary fashion legend. Should McQueen have survived to this day, there is no doubt that he would have continued to set the pace for the industry.
During his time, McQueen also clothed a number of celebrity patrons that included the likes of Penélope Cruz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rihanna, Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga and Ayumi Hamasaki.
‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’ will run from May 4 to July 31, 2011.
