As the fashion world comes to terms with the suicide of the gifted designer, we look back his 10 best fashion moments.
- The Betty Editors, BettyConfidential.com
In the world of fashion, there are many shining stars, but Alexander McQueen seemed to sparkle just a little brighter than all the others. Sure, there are designers whose looks are way out there, but Lee (as his friends called him), was alone in his ability to combine the dreams and nightmares of childhood with our deepest adult desires and create designs that we could instantly identify as "so Alexander McQueen." Whether you bought something from his Target collaboration or splurged on one of his higher-priced pieces (as Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Paquin, Lady Gaga, Cate Blanchett
and countless other stars did), you knew that what you were wearing went beyond style and fashion. It was high-concept art.
Read Alexander McQueen Commits Suicide
So we were beyond sad yesterday morning when we learned of his untimely passing at the age of 40. And while the question why remains, we look back at Alexander McQueen's 10 most memorable fashion moments.
All of Alexander McQueen's shows were theatrical. Models didn't just walk down the catwalk, they were placed in a scene out of the designer's imagination. At his 2001 Spring show, models wandered around in a fictional mental hospital ward, wearing what looked like bathing caps on their heads, in pieces adorned with organic shapes, seashells, ruffles and more. This heavily embroidered evening gown is one part Star Wars' Queen Amidala, one part Japanese kimono and a whole lot of exquisite craftsmanship.
Can't you see Rihanna rockin' this cut-out outfit (minus the dotted tights) on the red carpet or for a night on the town with her new beau? Believe it or not, it's from McQueen's bullfight-themed Spring runway show way back in 2002. His clothing is both timeless and um, let's say unusual. J.Lo looked every inch the sexy and dangerous lady matador at the MTV Video Music awards that same year in a shimmery asymmetrical hem McQueen dress.
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His theme for Spring 2003 was "Shipwreck," complete with pirates, dreamy mermaids and princesses. Here, McQueen designed a gown that looks like a rainbow on acid. But once again he was ahead of the curve when it came to the use of color, texture and volume.
McQueen's Spring 2004 show recreated the film "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" (about Depression-era dance marathons). Models danced down the runway and the final model of the show, Karen Elson "expired" on the stage. Later that year, Cate Blanchett - a huge fan of the designer - wore a beaded silk charmeuse dress to the premiere of The Aviator.
Once again, McQueen challenged the audience to think and feel during his Spring 2005 show. The presentation was all about chess, and featured 36 models on a chessboard. While some claimed that the game was a metaphor for the fashion industry, the designs combined sharp tailoring with extravagantly rich dresses and McQueen's signature showmanship.
Read Best Dressed at the Golden Globes
Kate Moss appeared in a hologram for his Scottish highlands-inspired Fall 2006 show, eerily floating over the audience in a dreamily romantic ruffled gown. That spring, Sarah Jessica Parker - a long time fan of McQueen - wore his tartan gown to the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala and was accompanied by the designer.
McQueen's Spring 2008 show was one of his best-received and most-written about shows. Many people saw this as a tribute to the late Isabella Blow, who discovered him, made him famous, and wore his crazy clothes all the time. This show incorporated many of his previous design elements, but two standouts were the butterfly headdress, created by milliner Phillip Treacy (a favorite of Blow's), and the rainbow, feather-printed gowns.
The Fall 2009 show is where many people felt that McQueen was completely embracing his theatrical nature. A standout element of this show was houndstooth, but the makeup was extremely creepy - succeeding in evoking an emotional response, which is what really great fashion should do.
Read Best Dressed at the SAG Awards
McQueen's Spring 2010 show was sea-inspired, named "Plato's Atlantis" it featured marine animal prints and lobster-claw shoes. The latter being embraced by Lady Gaga who loved the designer's avant-garde aesthetic and wore his pieces on the red carpet (remember that red lace number at the MTV VMAs?) and in her music videos. In "Bad Romance," Gaga wore head-to-toe McQueen and managed to dance in 10-inch lobster-claw shaped Armadillo stilettos. Amazing on so many levels.
But Alexander McQueen was not all about Lady Gaga-esque theatrics. While some of his designs were flights of fantasy, others were fantastic of-the-moment totally wearable creations. Who could forget how fresh and fashion-forward Anna Paquin looked carrying McQueen's skull clutch and wearing a sexy snake-print cocktail-length Alexander McQueen dress at the Screen Actors Awards last month. Or how spectacular Cameron Diaz looked in his slinky red gown at the Golden Globes.
Thank you, Lee Alexander McQueen, for making us think, feel and dream.
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