As New York Fashion Week begins, the news of British designer Alexander McQueen’s apparent suicide, just days after the death of his mother, has the fashion world reeling. The runway show for his sportswear line McQ by Alexander McQueen, scheduled for the evening of February 11, was canceled.
The designs created by McQueen, whose career spanned more than 20 years, were not universally met with critical praise but the fact that they were always passionate, creative and often controversial could not be denied. He presented his “lobster claw” shoes at the Spring 2010 Paris collections this past fall. Alternately described as fetishistic, hooflike and beautiful, the shoes were featured in almost every fashion magazine, website and blog and had fashion writers in a frenzy in their attempts to describe them. McQueens’ collections and shows – and he was a master showman – have addressed such social issues as the subjugation of women, technology and the dehumanization of the individual, and female sexuality.
McQueen began his career as a Savile Row apprentice. After producing designs for John Galliano and Hussein Chalayan, McQueen founded his own company in 1992. One of his earliest shows featured the “bumster” pant, considered by many as the precursor to low-rise jeans and for which he received a loyal following. He served as creative director for Givenchy and later joined Gucci Group. Known as the enfant terrible of fashion, McQueen was responsible for the black leather outfit Janet Jackson wore during the 2004 Super Bowl when she had the infamous “wardrobe malfunction.” Other well-known aficionados include Kate Moss and Lady Gaga who wears head-to-toe McQueen in her Bad Romance video.
McQueen was 40.
