Alexander The Great

 It’s been more than a year since the death of the designer Alexander McQueen and so far we have seen plenty of tributes paid to the designer. This month he was honored in many ways.
 Harper’s Bazaar paid him tribute in an editorial named “Long Live McQueen“, featuring the supermodel Kate Moss and Annabelle Neilson. Photographed by Solve Sundsbo, both models are wearing Alexander McQueen archive pieces from 2004.

Vogue US didn’t want to be left out of the “tribute wave” and photographed Coco Rocha, Karen Elson, Caroline Trentini, Karlie Kloss and Raquel Zimmerman all styled by the amazing Grace Coddington.
 The editorial is named “Alexander The Great” and presents looks that will be displayed at the Costume Institute from today, May 4th in another homage to the designer. Of course the photo shoot was photographed by Steven Meisel.

For Spring in 2007, McQueen was inspired by the movie “Saraband”. According to Vogue, this dress had fresh flowers when it was first wore.

Playing the role of a chess piece, this is how the models from Spring 2005 collection dressed.

This dress belongs to Fall 2006 collection which inspiration was “Widows of Culloden”.

Karlie Kloss is wearing a dress from Spring 1999.

Voss, Spring 2001: a kimono with long sleeves and real flowers on the hat.

For Spring 2011, McQueen focused on the world’s madness and design pieces like the one above. “The Ice Queen and her court” was the motto of the Collection.

In New York the Alexander McQueen`s boutique  is celebrating the opening of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition celebrates Alexander McQueen’s remarkable vision and creativity, showcasing his ingenious fashions as works of art. Comprising approximately 100 designs – including many rare examples of his early work – and selling 5 limited edition prints signed by Sølve Sundsbø, photographer of the exhibition catalogue. The pieces were photographed while worn by models transformed to look like mannequins using a combination of makeup and technology.
 All proceeds from the sale of these prints will be donated to the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief fund of the International Federation of the Red Cross. The prints will be on display at Alexander McQueen, 417 West 14th Street, New York from 3rd -13th May. More information on the exhibition: www.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen.

See selected images from the exhibition catalogue, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andew Bolton:

Ensemble, It’s a Jungle Out There, Autumn/Winter 1997–98

Dress, VOSS, Spring/Summer 2001

Ensemble, VOSS, Spring/Summer 2001

Dress, The Horn of Plenty, Autumn/Winter 2009–10

Dress, Irere, Spring/Summer 2003

Ensemble, Dante, autumn/winter 1996–97

Dress, VOSS, spring/summer 2001

Dress, Widows of Culloden, autumn/winter 2006–7

 “When we put the antlers on the model and then draped over it the lace embroidery that we had made, we had to poke them through a £2,000 piece of work. But then it worked because it looks like she’s rammed the piece of lace with her antlers. There’s always spontaneity. You’ve got to allow for that in my shows.” – Lee Alexander McQueen

Dress, No. 13, spring/summer 1999

 “[The finale of this collection] was inspired by an installation by artist Rebecca Horn of two shotguns firing blood-red paint at each other.” – Lee Alexander McQueen

Dress, autumn/winter 2010–11

Dress, Sarabande, spring/summer 2007

 “Remember Sam Taylor-Wood’s dying fruit? Things rot…I used flowers because they die. My mood was darkly romantic at the time.” – Lee Alexander McQueen

Ensemble, Plato’s Atlantis, spring/summer 2010

 “[This collection predicted a future in which] the ice cap would melt…the waters would rise and…life on earth would have to evolve in order to live beneath the sea once more or perish…Humanity [would] go back to the place from whence it came.” – Lee Alexander McQueen

Dress, autumn/winter 2010






*Pictures Courtesy of: The Metropolitan Museum of Art