Savage Beauty
While in NYC recently, I was able to find a moment to visit the Met and view the Alexander McQueen exhibit, "Savage Beauty." It's been nearly a month since I was there, and I am only now feeling compelled to explore my thoughts and feelings on what I experienced.
My affinity for McQueen's designs began after I previewed one of his men's collections several years back. The stiff and structured tailoring was what I was instantly attracted to, given my penchant for menswear and military-inspired fashion. Upon learning about his fashion beginnings and background, it made perfect sense to learn that his craft began at London's famed Savile Row, the tailoring mecca of the world. McQueen's techniques, however, grew way beyond perfect fits, seams, and lengths. His knowledge became a means to translate personal thoughts and concepts that he dug out from the depths of his psyche.
What distinguishes McQueen from so many other of his designing peers, was his hyper thoughtfulness in every minute detail of his designs. Everything and anything he did was mindful and intentional, and distinctly tied to a personal feeling, belief, and thought of his. Importantly, his keen ability to verbally and tangibly express with a very concise and lucid idea what his collections represented was never seemingly contrived. Every quote and explanation from McQueen included in the exhibit, was a cohesive and clearly stated thought that made absolute sense. His designs were a direct reflection of his mind and emotions, a statement of self representation, and a means to reveal his notions of the body, beauty, and life in its many complexities and dichotomies. McQueen's political under and overtones were woven through his work, using a skilled hand, bold opinions, a defiant attitude, a dark mind, and simply an innate ability to express a beautiful aesthetic, making him forever memorable.
The exhibit itself was curated and executed beautifully. The moods were perfectly set with appropriate music and lighting for each accompanying collection in the different rooms, which allowed a spectator to feel what I imagine McQueen wanted one to feel as a result of viewing his work. The rooms featured an impressive array of pieces from his different collections, and the personal quotes from McQueen were expertly displayed throughout the exhibit, giving you a glimpse into his macabre mind and world. While everything was visually stunning, the ultimate beauty of the exhibit was the emotive component which was so effectively executed. The feelings that washed over me were overwhelming with excitement, intrigue, and sorrow. The one thing that I especially took away from experiencing the exhibit was being able to delve deeper in understanding him as an individual outside of being a designer. He was a thinker, someone who philosophized constantly, and always applying a politically and personal driven thought and motive to his work. He was a master of his own craft, and there can truly only be one Alexander McQueen.
My affinity for McQueen's designs began after I previewed one of his men's collections several years back. The stiff and structured tailoring was what I was instantly attracted to, given my penchant for menswear and military-inspired fashion. Upon learning about his fashion beginnings and background, it made perfect sense to learn that his craft began at London's famed Savile Row, the tailoring mecca of the world. McQueen's techniques, however, grew way beyond perfect fits, seams, and lengths. His knowledge became a means to translate personal thoughts and concepts that he dug out from the depths of his psyche.
What distinguishes McQueen from so many other of his designing peers, was his hyper thoughtfulness in every minute detail of his designs. Everything and anything he did was mindful and intentional, and distinctly tied to a personal feeling, belief, and thought of his. Importantly, his keen ability to verbally and tangibly express with a very concise and lucid idea what his collections represented was never seemingly contrived. Every quote and explanation from McQueen included in the exhibit, was a cohesive and clearly stated thought that made absolute sense. His designs were a direct reflection of his mind and emotions, a statement of self representation, and a means to reveal his notions of the body, beauty, and life in its many complexities and dichotomies. McQueen's political under and overtones were woven through his work, using a skilled hand, bold opinions, a defiant attitude, a dark mind, and simply an innate ability to express a beautiful aesthetic, making him forever memorable.
The exhibit itself was curated and executed beautifully. The moods were perfectly set with appropriate music and lighting for each accompanying collection in the different rooms, which allowed a spectator to feel what I imagine McQueen wanted one to feel as a result of viewing his work. The rooms featured an impressive array of pieces from his different collections, and the personal quotes from McQueen were expertly displayed throughout the exhibit, giving you a glimpse into his macabre mind and world. While everything was visually stunning, the ultimate beauty of the exhibit was the emotive component which was so effectively executed. The feelings that washed over me were overwhelming with excitement, intrigue, and sorrow. The one thing that I especially took away from experiencing the exhibit was being able to delve deeper in understanding him as an individual outside of being a designer. He was a thinker, someone who philosophized constantly, and always applying a politically and personal driven thought and motive to his work. He was a master of his own craft, and there can truly only be one Alexander McQueen.
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