"Clothes and jewellery should be startling, individual. When you see a woman in my clothes, you want to know more about them. To me, that is what distinguishes good designers from bad designers." - Alexander McQueen
I’ve been a fan of Alexander McQueen’s work for a while now and my love and admiration for McQueen was only intensified when I bought my first skull scarf in 2007 – a white chiffon with black skulls. when I found out that the Metropolitan Museum of Art would be holding an exhibit on his work for a short 3 months, I knew it was time for a long overdue trip to NYC.
The exhibit was everything I could have ever imagined and more. To see his pieces in print or on television is one thing, but to be up close with such works of art is completely different. The exhibit is a mixture of all of his work from his 1992 post-graduate collection from Central St. Martin, his early days at Givenchy up until his last, unfinished, collection - Fall/Winter 2010. It includes 100 creations and about 70 accessories; including the famed alien shoes and armadillo pumps, box clutch and various headpieces. The exhibit is divided by "themes" - The Romantic Mind, Romantic Gothic & Cabinet of Curiosities, Romantic Nationalism, Romantic Exoticism, Romantic Primitivism & Romantic Naturalism.
Cameras are not allowed in the exhibit, but these are some of my favourite pieces, with pictures from The Daily Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar, Forbes, MetMuseum.com & The Cut;
Gold feathered jacket; Fall/Winter 2010
Spring/Summer 2001; Birds
Fall/Winter 2009-2010; Horn of Plenty
Spring/Summer 2007; Sarabande
Spring/Summer 2001; Voss
dress made of razor cut clams, striped and varnished
Spring/Summer 1998; Untitled
Fall/Winter 06-07; Widows of Culloden
worn by Sarah Jessica Parker when she accompanied Alexander McQueen at the Met Ball
If you have the chance, I strongly suggest you check out the exhibit – buy tickets in advance to save some time and go early!