Alexander McQueen

A wonderful, smart friend of mine referred me to Harvey Mansfield's writings on formality and the role clothing plays in our communication of our selves to other people, and I had one of those brilliant, revelatory moments that come from reading a really smart person's coherent summation of something you felt but could never quantify. Mansfield wisely connects personal presentation to political life, and I don't think it's necessary to limit fashion to an announcement of our private politics alone. Clothing, particularly in runway shows, can speak to large-scale political themes sometimes even more clearly than words. Now, it's difficult to have a complete conversation via clothing for all the obvious reasons, but it can frame a question differently or begin the conversation in the space between people's reactions to a garment. I think our most virulent pop political discussions stem from a problematic framing of debate, so gaining new context can be invaluable.

Alexander McQueen died last week, and there are few designers as willing to Say Something through their clothing and presentation as he was. I wrote a while ago about Lady Gaga and the value of people who fight against the conforming pressures of democratic equality and it's no surprise that she and McQueen worked together closely; they shared many of the same sensibilities and dimensions of clothing. There can be no question that McQueen was revolutionary and that he created clothing with true meaning. In an era when new media diffuse the kind of attention that once created superstars on a frequent basis, McQueen's dramatic vision elevated him to a certain plane that few can achieve...a plane upon which all comers can react to and appreciate one's work.

Unfortunately, that kind of excellence is wildly stressful, particularly when accessed through a creative enterprise like fashion. When you look at the brightest stars, you can't help but notice that they burn out so quickly - a certain kind of creative genius just can't survive in the kind of conformist, market-centric world we have here on Earth. McQueen had suffered massive loss in recent weeks and years and it seems like the strain of that emptiness in his life along with the drain of such a creative life overwhelmed him. It is a huge loss. I hoped to one day own one of his beautiful creations, but that seems unlikely now. Instead, I hope to constantly question my fashion and push my limits in the hopes of challenging the world around me in some small way.

I've been meaning to write something about McQueen since I first heard the news, but I can't figure out how to do it all justice and I think that might be because it's impossible. I didn't know McQueen, but his clothes spoke to me. These are some of my favorites; some have commentary, some don't. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and more importantly that they make you think.

I feel a little odd about using the same phrase to react to the deaths of political leaders and to fashion designers, but I keep feeling one phrase over and over..."a great light has gone out."

RTW Spring 2005

What does the blend of ultra feminine detail with the super-realistic breastplate mean? How about the fact that the head and neck are immobilized? Is this an enthusiastic endorsement of rigid gender stereotypes, or a dramatic image meant to point out their weaknesses?

RTW Spring 2005

I love the amazing sculptural quality of this dress, to say nothing of the civilization springing from her head up there. The skirt is amazing, and the bodice doubly so. What does the headdress mean?

RTW Spring 2005

RTW Spring 2005

More use of the football imagery in the breastplate, but with the swirling, complex ethnic designs on the skirt. Is he pointing out the toughness in women or the femininity in the most aggressive sports?

RTW Spring 2005

I just love the shapes in this - the cut of the jacket is particularly interesting, more so when juxtaposed alongside the swath of lace.

RTW Fall 2006

Most of McQueen's shows have an unmistakable connection to nature, often giving you the feeling that they were clipped out of the woods and transported to the runway. Here, the glorious shock of feathers adds lightness but the overall effect is of strength.

RTW Fall 2006

This...is a tree. I loved the use of the feather headdresses in this collection.

RTW Fall 2006

RTW Fall 2006

The diagonal plaids here are glorious.

RTW Fall 2006

You can't really degrade or enrich the female form without understanding its anatomy. There are serious questions about McQueen's outlook on women and they deserve consideration, but I think this jacket in particular demonstrates that his were not idle comments on the female form. This is someone who understood the female body, and knowing that fact necessarily directs our considerations of his gender politics. (For the record, I believe his work was quite feminist, and that the reshaping of the female form he engaged in challenged traditional stereotypes of feminine beauty.)

RTW Fall 2006

RTW Spring 2007

I don't love the giant hat, but I do love the beautiful ruffling and the sheer top.
RTW Spring 2007
McQueen honed his chops on Savile Row as a tailor; the knowledge he gleaned from that experience allowed him not only to create his amazing works of art but to play with gender stereotypes in fashion specifically, as he does in this beautiful suit.

RTW Spring 2007

RTW Spring 2007

Of course, it's not always about the body alone, and this is why McQueen's challenges to gender in fashion are so interesting. Here's a piece that plays on the Spanish mantilla comb; does it comment on the gender rules bound up in that tradition or on weddings as a whole?

RTW Spring 2007

What is being said by leaving the breasts exposed and emphasizing the hips?

RTW Fall 2007

RTW Fall 2007

RTW Fall 2007

A golden idol?

RTW Fall 2007

How about this one, in heavy tones with a covered mouth? Why is the chest piece so detailed and true to the female anatomy until it reaches the genitalia?

RTW Spring 2008

More natural references, not only in the headdress but in the pops of red against the late-spring-snow shade of grey.

RTW Spring 2008

RTW Spring 2008

Amazing construction. What's with the cage?

RTW Spring 2008

RTW Spring 2008

I love these leg...things. It looks almost like a delicate tattoo.

RTW Spring 2008

Janet Jackson wore this out to some event or the other and looked effing magnificent in it, but she did wear a different belt and this one is glorious. I love how different it looked on Janet as opposed to this model. This is the kind of thing I wear in my best dreams.

RTW Spring 2008

I actually like the taxidermy and the reminder of mortality it provides in contrast with the springy blue of this dress. Perfect balance.

RTW Fall 2008

This collection was maybe my favorite ever. It was inspired by the Muscovian Ballet and I just love everything about it. The models are walking around a giant fake tree - I included video at the end of this post - and I love how their wild hair seems to be blending back in to the nature around them.

RTW Fall 2008

RTW Fall 2008

This detail is mind boggling. I can hardly imagine toiling over its production for something architectural, much less something to be worn. I want nothing more than to touch this.

RTW Fall 2008

Let's have it said: putting peacocks on any garment without having it look cheesy is a monumental achievement. This is a whole other realm beyond that achievement.

RTW Fall 2008

RTW Fall 2008

RTW Fall 2008

RTW Fall 2008

This seems so simple but the more you look, the more you find to look at. Beautiful!

RTW Fall 2008

If I had my way I would dress in something like this every day. Take that as you will.

RTW Spring 2009

A couple designers have attempted the "tea bag" method of including flora and tulle in garments, but I think the use of clearly cutout flowers is one hundred times more effective.

RTW Spring 2009

RTW Fall 2009

I love houndstooth so, so much. I loved the use of it in this collection because it reclaimed it from the elderly masses. I remember going to DC for Inauguration and thinking I was the only quasi-elderly person wearing the pattern and thus giving it out as an identifying item, only to find that EVERYONE was about houndstooth.

RTW Fall 2009

Oh glorious pattern. This should be blinding but it's gorgeous.

RTW Fall 2009

I love the way this positions the model as an observer. She's forced into a traditional stance of elitist observation. This is another piece where gender politics are forced to the fore...what is the woman's role? To observe? To judge? To control?

RTW Spring 2010

Here begins McQueen's most recent collection, full of eerie questions about what is natural. This is clearly a line for aliens, but can you really deny its organic feel?

RTW Spring 2010

RTW Spring 2010

This is a waterfall. It's a waterfall,

RTW Spring 2010

RTW Spring 2010

Somehow I feel like this is a fitting end to this totally inadequate posting. Take a moment to consider the floating top, the immaculate tailoring, the challenges of the shoes. We will miss you, Lee McQueen, probably more than we know now.

A great light has gone out.