I was first introduced to Alexander McQueen when I was 16. Watching Fashion Television back then was really the only way I knew anything about what a runway show looked like. It was McQueen's Spring 2005 collection that stunned me with it's awesomeness - and began my obsession with both him and high fashion in general. It was the show where he created a huge chess board out of the runway- orchestrating a giant game instead of an ordinary show. Jeanne Beker was telling me how this related to getting through the fashion world but all I could see were these beautifully crafted, oh-so-British original outfits gracing the television. My heart was stolen in one swoop. Later, in 2008, with his collection of royal designs, feathers, ballerina slippers- I was fully cemented into my love for everything McQueen.
McQueen was a visionary of epic proportions. His level of foresight and daring launched him to levels of success a designer could only dream of in such a short period of time. His gothic features of design paired with quality and exceptional craftsmanship are things that both stood out and separated him from every other designer of the moment.
This morning, when I read the headlines of his death, I weeped not only for his lost talent, his family, his friends- but for what the world lost in a designer who oozed innovation and individuality. In a world becoming more and more mainstream in it's approach to trends, adoration, celebrity, praise, criticism- McQueen was my favorite person to look to for freshness and imagination. There are certainly other designers I look to for inspiration but it has always been, and will always be McQueen that I felt the makings of a great King of fashion. One which will continue past this day and into the history of fashion, I am sure.
His time was cut short, but luckily his art remains his legacy, even if there were years to come from his genius. This event cast a dark shadow certainly on the opening of NY Fashion week, and the Fall shows to come in the next month. I'm sure this seems like just another blog post from a fashion fan, but know that these words come from the bottom of a heart changed by the work of McQueen. I hope that this master can now rest in peace in a place filled with the comfort and tranquility he was lacking in life.
RIP MCQUEEN.
