Tribute: Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen

March 16, 1969 - February 11, 2010 (age 40)

Alexander McQueen dropped out of school at age 16 to pursue a career in fashion design, learning tailoring on Savile Row and pattern making from costumiers Angels and Bermans. He showed his degree collection fresh out of the Central Saint Martins Masters program in 1994, which was bought in its entirety by style icon and fashion editor Isabella Blow. The label is known for its dramatic, gorgeously constructed pieces, combining elements of British tailoring with French couture. Signature looks included billowy dresses cut in hourglass silhouettes, frock coats paired with skinny pants, sharp, angular suiting, and darkly romantic gowns covered in intricate embroidery and lace. Gucci Group acquired 51 percent of the label in 2000. In 2004, McQueen designed his first menswear collection and was named British Menswear Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council. The brand introduced fragrances in 2003 and 2005 (Kingdom and MyQueen) and in January 2006 launched McQ, a more affordable, denim-based ready-to-wear line including menswear, womenswear, and accessories. McQueen flagships stores are in London, New York, Milan, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, and franchised stores are in Istanbul and Moscow. Tragically, McQueen was found dead in his London apartment in February 2010. The cause of death was apparently suicide.

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"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."

Alexander McQueen in The Guardian

Fall 2009

Spring 2010

“I'm interested in designing for posterity. People who buy McQueen are going to hand the clothes down to their children, and that's very rare today.”
Alexander McQueen in Harper's Bazaar

He will be missed.