Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen clothing reflects the personality of its creator - the eccentric and genius Lee Alexander McQueen.

After the sudden departure of the designer, the brand continues to maintain its style, delighting with extravagant clothes and bold defiant looks.

Alexander McQueen is a signature luxury brand founded by London-based designer Alexander McQueen. This is the most shocking and scandalous fashion house in England.

The founder of the brand is a unique personality, a talented fashion designer who was three times awarded the title "British Designer of the Year" at a fairly young age - in 1997, 1998 and 2002.

One of the few who skillfully defined and instantly picked up fashion trends at the turn of the century. In his hands, even the most faceless colors came to life, they began to "play and sing", gaining unprecedented strength.

In Alexander's collections, absolute opposites were harmoniously combined, it was this incredible feature that made his brand so unique.

The biography of the designer is not much different from his other contemporaries. Coming from a poor London family, he could hardly have imagined that he would be able to achieve such success, and his brand would become popular all over the world.

• Lee McQueen was born on March 17, 1969 in London. He was fond of fashion since childhood, drawing sketches of women's dresses, but the family was against his hobby.
• In 1985 he dropped out of school and left his parental home, finding a job at the studio "Anderson & Shepherd". Later he was invited to the role of a costume designer in a theater workshop, where he sewed stage costumes.

• In 1989, he became an assistant to Japanese fashion designer Koji Tatsuno and enrolled at St Martins Central College.
• In 1992 he received a master's degree in design. The master's graduation collection attracted public attention, but made a special impression on the stylist Isabella Blow, who bought all the ready-made outfits. Later, she had a great influence on the promotion of the young designer, advised him to change his name to Alexander, and he considered her his muse.
• In 1994, the designer registered his own brand, Alexander McQueen.
• In 1996, he became the art director of Givenchy, succeeding John Galliano, and remained in this position until 2001.
• In 1997, the Alexander McQueen brand passed into the ownership of the Gucci Group.
• In 2001, the Gucci brand became the owner of half of McQueen's shares. At the same time, Alexander parted with Givenchy, and completely focused on his brand, gaining complete creative freedom. From that moment on, the success story of Alexander McQueen began.

• In 2003, the first feminine fragrance, Kingdom, was introduced, followed by a masculine version four years later.
• On October 29, 2003, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire from the hands of Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
• In 2005, cooperation with the sports company Puma began, the designer released a collection of shoes.
• In 2006, the democratic McQ line was created, which over time began to be positioned as a separate youth brand McQ by Alexander McQueen.
• In 2007, the Samsonite brand released suitcases that resemble a human chest, designed by Alexander.
• In 2009, McQueen created costumes for the play "Eonagata", which was dedicated to the mystery of the Frenchman Chevalier d'Eon.
• On February 11, 2010, he was found hanged in his own home in London. The reasons why the designer committed suicide are not known for certain. His sudden death affected many people and was actively discussed at the next Fashion Week.

A month later, McQueen's assistant Sarah Burton, who is still in this position, took over the post of creative director of the brand.

During his life, Alexander McQueen managed to release 35 clothing collections from 1992 to 2010. Each is worthy of a separate mention, but we will get acquainted with the most interesting and provocative of them.

• St Martins MA Graduate collection, Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, 1992

The designer's graduation collection dedicated to Jack the Ripper. Unfortunately, there are no photos from the debut show, and Isabella Blow, whom we mentioned above, became the owner of the collection.

Nevertheless, several items from that collection recently participated in the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition, which was held at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Among the exhibits is a silk dress with a barbed wire pattern adorned with human hair. This is a reference to women of easy virtue during the Victorian era. They sold their hair, which they then made into wigs with curls.

Initially, his own curls, packed in plastic bags, were attached to all of the designer's clothes.

• Highland Rape Fall / Winter 1995

The collection dedicated to the conflict between Scotland and England received a provocative name. Models took to the catwalk, portraying sadness on the verge of hysteria, and they were wearing plaid clothes with cutouts.

Then, having misunderstood the collection, critics accused Alexander of hating women.

• The Hunger, Spring / Summer 1996

The collection celebrated the beauty of vampires even before it became mainstream. In the mid-90s, the designer used tops resembling blood bags, asymmetrical silk blouses in black and trousers with cut-out hips.

Some of the skirts were decorated with antlers, and the antler shard turned into an iconic tusk earring that was powerful and sophisticated at the same time.

• Dante ("Dante"), fall / winter 1996

The show was dedicated to the parishioners of the Huguenot Church, whose parishioners were descendants of Alexander.Models took to the catwalk accompanied by organ music, they themselves were with pale skin and bloody lips. The atmosphere in the hall was supposed to remind those gathered and approaching death.

The collection is particularly noteworthy for the fact that the dresses were printed with photographs of people taken by the famous war photographer Don McCullin.

• Voss, spring / summer 2001

The show has become one of the most ambitious performances not only for the brand, but also for the fashion industry in general. The Mirror Club and many other decorations were designed to mimic a mental hospital.

The models depicting the mentally ill wore flowing dresses adorned with embroidery, feathers and mussel shells. Some had bandages on their heads, while others were decorated with caps in the shape of a stuffed bird.

The collection also included office pantsuits, plastic tops, asymmetric jackets. It was a play on contrasts - simple lines were complemented by exaggerated images.

Since McQueen adored birds since childhood, this was not the only collection in which he used feathers - they were a constant source of creativity and incredible masterpieces.

• La Dame Bleue (Lady in Blue), Spring / Summer 2008

The suicide of Isabella Blow's friend and muse in 2007 was a big blow for Alexander. To cope with the accumulated emotions, the designer dedicated the next collection to his mentor, based on her style.

These included Asian-inspired clothing, dresses with stuffed birds, hats that imitated fencing masks and, of course, the famous headdresses from a cluster of butterflies that Philip Tracy helped create.

• The Widows of Culloden Fall / Winter 2006

Another collection dedicated to the turbulent bloody history of Scotland, from which his ancestors were born. According to the recollections of friends, he was literally obsessed with this country.

In the collection, McQueen used mainly polysyllabic textured fabrics, tartan, feathers and fur. Deer antlers, nests, wings of butterflies and birds played ol headdresses. The show ended with a floating hologram of Kate Moss in a weightless organza dress.

• The Horn of Plenty Fall / Winter 2009

This show today remains one of the most spectacular and memorable in the history of the fashion industry. The designer again turned to the theme of birds, this time surpassing himself.

The theme of the collection is dedicated to the age of consumption in which we live. Models took to the catwalk in very high heels, dressed in clothes of color contrasts.

The show was completed by two models, which came out in white and black cocoon dresses. The outfits were completely made of feathers - now they can be safely considered one of the most recognizable masterpieces of the designer.

• Plato's Atlantis, Spring / Summer 2010

The latest collection of the designer, which demonstrated the flight of his boundless imagination. She calls it a kind of "end of the world" from Alexander McQueen.

The designer was inspired by the issues of global warming and life after the apocalypse. The show became the embodiment of Alexander's fantasies, in which the planet is inhabited by reptilian people who have adapted to life on land and under water.

The collection includes airy dresses, outfits of an unusual shape with a snake print and an image of iridescent butterfly wings. The models wore high hairstyles on their heads, which were designed to complete the image of alien creatures.

The collection is especially recognizable thanks to the legendary Armadillo shoes. These are shoes of an unusual shape with a high platform and a 30-centimeter heel.

They gained particular popularity thanks to Lady Gaga, who appeared in them in her video, and then bought most of the presented models.

In his work, Alexander McQueen cultivated death itself and life after death.For example, the 1996 Dante collection was dedicated to this theme.

Not surprisingly, one of the symbols associated with the designer's work is the skull. For example, they can be found on T-shirts, as well as skeletons and images of feathers, which also played a large role in Alexander's work.

T-shirts, as a rule, are made in neutral colors - white, black, dark blue, gray. They are great for everyday wear, and differ only in provocative prints.

Sarah Burton continues to skillfully work on the Alexander McQueen brand. In general, her collections have become more feminine and delicate, one might even say more "wearable".

In the assortment you can find coats for every taste - loose and fitted, long and asymmetrical. They delight with a wide variety of shapes, textures and styles.

Perhaps the most iconic wedding dress for the Alexander McQueen fashion house is the one designed for Kate Middleton in 2011 by Sarah Burton. This is a chic wedding dress that people will remember for a very long time.

Made of satin, it was fastened on the back with 58 buttons, and its train was 2.7 meters long. The upper part of the dress was made of lace, decorated with patterns of flowers - symbols of Great Britain. There was also lace trim on the hem of the dress; in total, the outfit had over 200 appliqués. It was valued at $ 50,000.

For some, McQueen's shoes are disgusting, for others - delight, but practically no one leaves indifferent.

For example, in 2009 he presented a collection of shoes with 30-centimeter heels that resembled hooves. Some models even refused to participate in the show, considering the shoes too extreme.

As part of various collections, he came out with shoes resembling the jaw of an alien alien, sandals on a fantasy platform decorated with butterflies, shoes with two heels in the Japanese style.

After his death, the shoes of delirium became more restrained and laconic. Sarah Burton presents collections that include rather ordinary shoes and sandals, but they are more suitable for everyday wear.

In 2005, the German sports brand Puma signed a multi-year contract with the designer. His house began developing capsule shoe collections that included stunningly designed sneakers and sneakers.

Only high-quality materials were used for sewing shoes, which made the sports shoes especially unique - these are Italian leather, leather of nappa sheep, goat, calf, leather mixed with suede, pony fur. There is no doubt that McQueen's signature style is evident in the design of the sneaker.

The collaboration between these two brands has brought incredible design, comfort and practicality to life, which is especially true when sneakers and sneakers have gone beyond the gym, becoming everyday shoes.

In 2006, the brand signed a contract with Samsonite to create a collection of bags and suitcases. The suitcases created a real sensation - human ribs were squeezed out on the lid of one model, and the other imitated the shell of a turtle.

Clutches, iconic for the fashion house, appeared after the death of the designer. Continuing the traditions created by the designer, Sarah created a collection of clutches decorated with skulls, which Alexander adored.

This clutch is recognizable thanks to the knuckle-duster handle, which also serves as an eye-catching decoration. Floral and plant motifs are used in the design, and the bags themselves are made of metal and thick leather.

Alexander McQueen glasses are about variety and freedom, combined with laconic expressiveness. All models are produced by the Italian Safilo, so they can boast of excellent quality and excellent technical characteristics.

The shapes and appearance of glasses are varied, especially fashionistas love models with skulls, which look bright and shocking.

From 1996 to 2001, the brand collaborated with jeweler Sean Lin to create jewelry for the shows.During their hard work, the world saw such incredible things as a corset-spine, earring-dough, cuff "porcupine feather", jewelry made of brass, copper and other unusual metals.

Later, the designer released a collection of jewelry with skulls - the symbol of the brand. It included large leather and metal bracelets and rings.

At the moment, the Alexander McQueen brand has released 11 fragrances, the earliest of which is Kingdom, which was released in 2003. It belongs to the group of oriental spicy fragrances and contains notes of citrus, spice and flowers.

The perfume bottle has an unusual shape, from a certain angle it looks like a half of a heart.

Several women's limited editions were also released. Kingdom Limited Edition and Kingdom Summer - a lighter oriental perfume with floral notes.

In 2005, the fragrance My Queen was released, which belongs to the group of oriental florals. It includes violet, almond, iris and other floral notes.

Judging by the reviews, the perfume can be called powdery, with a slight touch of spices. Longevity, as in the previous case, is very high, the aroma lasts a long time on the skin and gives a good sillage.

Several versions of this fragrance were also released: My Queen Deluxe Edition and My Queen Light Mist.

In 2016, two more women's fragrances were launched - McQueen Parfum and McQueen Eau de Parfum. Both belong to the oriental floral group.

In 2017, another version of the fragrance was released - McQueen Eau Blanche, which belongs to the floral woody-musky group. It combines jasmine, tuberose and violet.

It cannot be denied that Alexander McQueen's departure from life led to changes in the brand's collections. However, being a disciple of a genius, Sarah Burton manages to maintain a unique design and a unique cut, which today makes Alexander McQueen clothing desirable and loved all over the world.