Requiem for the McQueen

Alexander McQueen

 Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk famously said: “We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” That’s an adage the natives of the fashion universe swear by, but a handful can fulfill.

The master of the renowned art of customized British tailoring and the pioneer behind the reemergence of mod in the fashion industry, he challenged the conventional fashion norms and at the same time infused an unusual contrast of beauty, sensuality and power in all his creations.

The world continues to mourn the tragic demise of Lee Alexander McQueen, the fashion designer who ushered in a fashion era of eccentric yet beautiful designs. From his famous skull scarf, which propelled the punk death-skull symbol to the list of must-haves in every celebrity’s closet, to the ancient Chinese-art influenced “Armadillo” heels (à la Lady Gaga in the Bad Romance music video), McQueen challenged every norm in the fashion world dominated by legendaries like Chanel and D&G. His infamous “bumster” trousers; the jeans and skirts whose waistband rest barely above the hips, leaving little to imagination, are the epitome of casual sexuality for the youth today.

 His foray into the world of beauty and style as the wild child of fashion was sealed when his first college graduation collection, “Highland Rape” was bought by the late fashion editor, Isabella Blow. After a brief stint with Givenchy that “constrained his creativity,” McQueen began his own fashion empire with the help of the Gucci group, under the label ‘Alexander McQueen.’ He referred to his collections as “my own living nightmares.”

Since then, McQueen caused a furore when he had the model Aimee Mullins, a double amputee, to walk the catwalk on a pair of beautifully carved prosthetic legs. Recently, Michelle Obama has also come under the spanner for donning a McQueen creation for a diplomatic meeting. From using human hair, animal and bird heads in his creations to making models strut in footwear with 12-inch heels in his September 2009 collection, McQueen understood the female psyche like no other. McQueen was once quoted as saying “When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there's a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off. You have to have a lot of balls to talk to a woman wearing my clothes.”

The winner of the British Fashion Awards “Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design” last year posthumously, and having won the Designer of the year award four times, McQueen was undoubtedly one of the best in what he did. An enigma in every sense, McQueen lived up to that reputation even when he breathed his last.

The famous "Armadillo" heels

Maybe that is why the sudden news of McQueen’s suicide announced on February 11, 2010 pulled the carpet from under many a foot. Barely days after the death of his mother; McQueen committed suicide by hanging himself in his closet with his “favourite brown belt.” He had left behind an almost complete collection, inspired by the old masters of painting, which was showcased at the Paris Fashion Week in a private setting. Each piece was exquisitely beautiful with rich, gold embroidery and heavy, luxuriant fabric.

Palahniuk also said “if death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?”

Though the McQueen label continues , the runway seems lifeless without his dark and dramatic collections with the trademark McQueen rebel streak. He has left behind in his wake dark, beautiful creations.