tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/alexander-mcqueen-15355/articles
Alexander McQueen – The Conversation
2023-09-15T09:45:04Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213579
2023-09-15T09:45:04Z
2023-09-15T09:45:04Z
As Sarah Burton leaves Alexander McQueen, an expert explores her legacy through five iconic designs
<p>Sarah Burton, the creative director for <a href="https://www.alexandermcqueen.com/en-gb">Alexander McQueen</a>, has announced that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/sep/11/sarah-burton-to-leave-alexander-mcqueen-fashion-house-after-two-decades">she is leaving</a> the fashion house after two decades. The spring/summer 2024 collection, launching at Paris Fashion Week on September 30, will be her last. </p>
<p>Burton, born in Macclesfield, initially <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/sarah-burton">joined McQueen in 1996</a> as a placement student, while studying at Central Saint Martins in London. Following her graduation, Burton took up a permanent post, becoming <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/sarah-burton-exits-alexander-mcqueen-creative-director">head of womenswear design in 2000</a>. After <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/28/alexander-mcqueen-suicide-verdict-inquest">Lee Alexander McQueen’s tragic death in 2010</a>, Burton became his successor as creative director.</p>
<p>During her <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/style/sarah-burton-alexander-mcqueen.html">26 years at McQueen</a> Burton has made a <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/sarah-burton-leaving-alexander-mcqueen">significant contribution</a> to both the fashion industry and to the legacy of the fashion house. In 2012 she <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/sarah-burton-receives-obe-from-the-queen">received an OBE</a> for services to the fashion industry. These are five of her most celebrated designs.</p>
<h2>1. Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, 2011</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/kate-middleton-alexander-mcqueen-sarah-burton-creative-director-leaving-wedding-dress-b1106493.html">The V-neck, ivory lace dress with a nine-foot train</a> that Burton created for the marriage of Kate Middleton and Prince William was one of her earlier designs as McQueen’s creative director.</p>
<p>Middleton chose Alexander McQueen to design her dress because of <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/kate-middleton-wedding-dress">its reputation</a> for craftsmanship, traditional workmanship and attention to the technical construction of clothing. Hand cut from both English and French Chantilly lace, the dress was handmade at the <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/sarah-burton-does-kates-dress-3596041/">Royal School of Needlework</a> at Hampton Court Palace and reportedly cost <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1158770/kate-middleton-meghan-markle-news-dress-wedding-cost-royal-fund-latest-pictures">£250,000</a> to make. </p>
<p>Burton’s design included a <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/08/kate-middleton-wedding-dress#:%7E:text=Much%20credit%20could%20be%20given%20to%20then%20Kate,signified%20the%20monarchy%E2%80%99s%20next%20era%20to%20the%20world.">floral motif that commemorated Great Britain</a>. It is believed that <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/kate-middleton-wedding-dress">seamstresses working on the dress</a> had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to ensure it was kept clean and that the needles they were using were replaced every three hours.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey wearing Sarah Burton’s design.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The choice of designer remained a secret until the day of the wedding. Following the royal wedding, sales at Alexander McQueen reportedly increased by <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sarah-burton-leaves-alexander-mcqueen-112658016.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANCNLOEAwKUYEdMB-KgTBa1bw3D9BV2E94qx8yBWs2THJHQaT81tZSn9XYNADcamVHwJViXr9R6vByNsC-3kIWuB4ICLiLBDuTjogZ0_HV2hXN9JOFUjmqaMQn0qG2XBeC677fD5euc4D2AhO9EGjWCVJ5ZRMCjDgkmQZFUp6yoX">29%</a>.</p>
<p>Over a decade later, the design continues to <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20210504128128/how-kate-middletons-royal-wedding-dress-impacted-bridal-trends/">influence bridal dress trends</a>, with celebrity taste-makers <a href="https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/kanye-west/lists/kim-kardashian-wedding-photos/kissing-alter/">like Kim Kardashian</a> favouring a long sleeved lace gown, similar to the Burton design. </p>
<p>It is not only the significance of the occasion and the wearer that ensures the longevity of this dress’s iconic status. Its artistry reflects the creativity of Burton and her passion for <a href="https://people.com/style/sarah-burton-opens-up-about-the-royal-wedding-dress-and-creating-her-own-mcqueen-legacy/">craftsmanship, storytelling and romance</a>, while ensuring the legacy of Lee Alexander McQueen. Burton herself has stated that while legacy can sometimes be seen as curse it is also a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/t-magazine/alexander-mcqueen-sarah-burton-interview.html">“wonderful opportunity for invention”</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Gisele Bündchen at the Met Gala, 2011</h2>
<p>During her tenure, Burton has been responsible for the creation of many memorable designs <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/sarah-burton-alexander-mcqueen-celebrity-fashion-red-carpet">worn by celebrities</a> for events such as the Met Gala and the Oscars.</p>
<p>Burton dressed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/may/03/mcqueen-red-carpet-met-ball">Gisele Bündchen</a> – a top supermodel of the 1990s and 2000s who often walked McQueen’s runway shows – for the Met Gala. The red, dropped waist gown paid tribute to Lee Alexander McQueen, referencing his passion for tailoring and drama with the cascading skirt.</p>
<p>The theme of the 2011 Met Gala, Savage Beauty, was inspired by the Alexander McQueen exhibition at <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/articles/2021/5/alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty">The Costume Institute</a> in New York. Paying homage to McQueen, attendees reflected upon his <a href="https://www.bustle.com/style/met-gala-themes-through-the-years-from-camp-to-americana">unorthodox genius</a>. In 2015, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/pictures/5542d3fee4b0bacdbd74bf7b/gisele-bundchen-2011/">Forbes</a> named Burton’s dress for Bündchen as one of the most unforgettable Met Gala dresses of all time.</p>
<h2>3. Nicole Kidman at the Met Gala, 2016</h2>
<p>The theme for the 2016 gala was <a href="https://stylecaster.com/fashion/celebrity-looks/1263600/met-gala-themes/#slide-4">Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology</a>. Burton’s design for Nicole Kidman was an <a href="https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/sarah-burton-alexander-mcqueen-designs-1235801125/">art deco-inspired celestial gown</a> that had been adapted from the 2016 runway collection. </p>
<p>The design included a sheer <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/nicole-kidmans-met-gala-2016-888284/#!">cape</a> which showcased the designer’s skill in embroidery through embellishments of beaded moons and stars. </p>
<p>With its <a href="https://en.vogue.me/archive/celebrities/nicole-kidman-at-the-2016-met-gala-dress-alexander-mcqueen/">geometric shapes</a> and celestial imagery, the dress echoed the work of the art deco artist <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/erte-1066">Erté</a> (1892-1990), reflecting the McQueen label’s interest in <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/alexander-mcqueen-an-introduction">historical references</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Lady Gaga, A Star is Born premiere, 2018</h2>
<p>Lady Gaga is well known for her <a href="https://www.goldderby.com/gallery/lady-gaga-fashion-meat-dress-oscar-looks/lady-gaga-fashion-victorian/">eccentric approach to fashion</a> and she was a great fan, and personal friend, of Lee Alexander McQueen. In 2018, Gaga wowed the crowds at the <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/lady-gaga-elizabethan-alexander-mcqueen-gown">London Premiere to her Star is Born movie</a>. She was dressed in an archival look which had been designed by Burton in 2013. </p>
<p>This extravagant design paid homage to the Elizabethan era with a corseted bodice, pearls, decorative ruff and exaggerated sleeves. Burton’s design showcased the intricate attention to detail and romance that the designer embodied. The 2013 collection was inspired by the <a href="https://fashionunited.in/news/fashion/the-end-of-an-era-at-alexander-mcqueen-sarah-burton-s-legacy-at-a-glance/2023091341535">Anglican Church and each garment took two weeks to make</a>.</p>
<h2>5. Lady Gaga, the Oscars, 2019</h2>
<p>It was a black McQueen dress that Gaga chose to wear to the 2019 Oscars, when she was nominated for <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/lady-gaga-2019-oscar-nominations-best-actress-best-song-a-star-is-born-8494302/#!">best actress and best song for A Star is Born</a>. Burton’s design had an exaggerated silhouette with <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/lady-gaga-academy-awards-2019-tiffany-diamond-alexander-mcqueen">padded hips and a long train</a>, reflecting the designer’s skill for combining tailoring with drama. </p>
<p>Gaga accessorised the McQueen gown with a <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26395159/lady-gaga-black-dress-oscars-2019/">142-year-old Tiffany diamond</a>, that had only been worn three times and was <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1008503/lady-gaga-makes-oscars-history-with-a-30-million-necklace#:%7E:text=Oscars%202019%3A%20Best%20Dressed%20Stars%20The%20actress%20turned,McQueen%20black%20strapless%20ball%20gown%20and%20leather%20gloves.">worth USD$30 million</a> (£24 million).</p>
<p>Burton’s departure from McQueen comes as the label’s parent company, the French luxury goods group Kering SA, is <a href="https://fashionunited.in/news/fashion/the-end-of-an-era-at-alexander-mcqueen-sarah-burton-s-legacy-at-a-glance/2023091341535">restructuring</a>. What the future may hold for Burton is unknown, although there is some speculation that she may <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/news/sarah-burton-leaving-alexander-mcqueen/">start her own label</a>. </p>
<p>Burton’s iconic designs and creative flair will leave a lasting imprint on the house of Alexander McQueen, one that its late founder would undoubtedly have been immensely proud of.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naomi Braithwaite does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
It was her design of Kate Middleton’s iconic royal wedding dress that brought Sarah Burton into the limelight.
Naomi Braithwaite, Associate Professor in Fashion Marketing and Branding, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/197321
2023-01-06T14:16:01Z
2023-01-06T14:16:01Z
Vivienne Westwood: how the brand will maintain the spirit of transgression and rebellion after her death
<p>The death of the English fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood at the age of 81 on <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/fashion-designer-dame-vivienne-westwood-has-died-at-the-age-of-81-12776479">December 29 2022</a>, has not only moved the fashion industry, but the world. Through her designs and her activism, Westwood had a profound impact on fashion and culture.</p>
<p>I, like so many others, credit Westwood for inspiring my passion for fashion. As a teenager, I spent countless Saturdays wandering down the Kings Road in London with the intention of ending up at Westwood’s <a href="https://www.viviennewestwood.com/en/sustainability/craft-heritage/worlds-end/">World’s End store</a>. On these trips I would stroll past groups of punks adorned in bondage trousers, ripped shirts (undoubtedly influenced by Westwood) and spiky hair.</p>
<p>I remember vividly the quirky interior with wonderful clothing and Westwood, herself, often sitting in the store. My first Westwood purchase was an <a href="https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=5530">Anglomania tartan</a> waistcoat, which I am wearing now as I write this piece. It is adorned with a pattern that has become a Westwood signature – <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion-a-new-year-s-fling-with-tartan-1291205.html">The MacAndreas tartan</a>, which Westwood named after her husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler. The tartan was given official recognition by <a href="https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/aboutus">The Scottish Register of Tartans</a> in 1993.</p>
<p>With Westwood’s death, many might question what will happen to the brand now it no longer has its namesake at the helm. Westwood had a strong and unique vision, could that be lost with her passing? But some brands have managed to maintain a sense of the creative genius of their founders after their death, just look at Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. </p>
<h2>The future of the House of Westwood</h2>
<p>The loss of <a href="https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/le-deces-de-christian-dior#:%7E:text=October%2024%2C%201957,Death%20of%20Christian%20Dior&text=Christian%20Dior%20died%20of%20a%20heart%20attack%20in%20Montecatini%2C%20Italy.">Dior in 1957</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/28/alexander-mcqueen-suicide-verdict-inquest">McQueen in 2010</a> have shown how the legacy of their work, including their design philosophies, can continue under the leadership of future design directors. </p>
<p>Dior was succeeded by <a href="https://museeyslparis.com/en/stories/les-annees-dior-1-1">Yves Saint Laurent</a> who had worked for two years under his predecessor’s guidance . Since Saint Laurent’s time at Dior, there have been many subsequent creative directors who have shaped its history including John Galliano and more recently <a href="https://www.nssmag.com/en/fashion/26583/dior-creative-directors">Maria Grazia Churi</a>. But, with each of these changes, a sense of Dior and his vision has remained.</p>
<p>As a couturier Dior was inspired by history, exotic travel and flowers from his <a href="https://www.tourisme-granville-terre-mer.com/en/experience/highlights/christian-dior-garden">garden</a>
outside Paris. These passions continue to be referenced in the work of his <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/allysonportee/2021/06/17/maria-grazia-chiuri-fuses-ancient-greek-history-into-diors-2022-cruise-collection-revealed-tonight-from-athens/?sh=2a2be3f0ea83">successors</a>, ensuring his legacy continues. </p>
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<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.kering.com/en/houses/couture-and-leather-goods/alexander-mcqueen/sarah-burton/">Sarah Burton</a>, who designed alongside McQueen for 14 years, took the helm as creative director for the label following his death. Burton has ensured that the drama and extravagance that <a href="https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/the-majestic-art-of-alexander-mcqueen/">defined McQueen’s work</a> continues today. </p>
<p>Take the <a href="https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2023-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen">Spring 2023 show</a> in which Burton referenced Hieronymus Bosch’s painting <a href="https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-garden-of-earthly-delights-triptych/02388242-6d6a-4e9e-a992-e1311eab3609">Garden of Earthly Delights</a>. Bosch’s demons featured in the last show of McQueen’s, which took place after his death. </p>
<p>Like Dior and McQueen, Westwood’s legacy is secure in the hands of a designer who has worked closely with her for years, in this case her husband Andreas Kronthaler. Their personal and creative partnership has seen a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jun/26/being-mr-westwood-vivienne-is-eccentric-serious-and-genuine">meeting of minds</a> through a <a href="https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/14601/vivienne-westwood-and-andreas-kronthaler-clothes-for-heroes">shared vision</a> for the Westwood brand and passion for design, art history and inspiring future generations. </p>
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<p>More recently, Kronthaler took over the role of <a href="https://vmagazine.com/article/andreas-kronthaler-for-vivienne-westwood-fall-2022/">creative director</a> overseeing the designs for Westwood’s collections, allowing Westwood more time to focus on other causes. At the most recent presentation for <a href="https://hypebeast.com/2022/10/andreas-kronthaler-vivienne-westwood-paris-fashion-week-spring-summer-2023">spring/summer 2023</a> in Paris, Westwood was notably absent and Kronthaler took on the role of walking down the catwalk at the end and accepting flowers. </p>
<p>In a statement released after Westwood died, Kronthaler <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/57858/1/vivienne-westwood-dead-death-tribute-obituary-andreas-kronthaler-punk-activism">stated</a>:</p>
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<p>I will continue with Vivienne in my heart … We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with. Thank you darling.</p>
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<p>Westwood has created a brand that is unique, radical and rebellious and through Kronthaler’s creative vision there is hope that the spirit of Westwood will live on.</p>
<h2>A trangressive designer</h2>
<p>Westwood was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/dec/29/dame-vivienne-westwood-fashion-designer-dies-aged-81">self-taught designer</a> who was known for her radical and deviant style.</p>
<p>Her first real foray into fashion came in 1971 when Westwood opened a shop called Let it Rock at 430 Kings Road, London, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/08/malcolm-mclaren-dies-sex-pistols">Malcolm McLaren</a>, manager of the Sex Pistols. The shop cemented Westwood’s association with punk and, along with McLaren, she was credited for giving the subculture a radical style that was <a href="https://time.com/6243793/vivienne-westwood-fashion-obituary/">unlike anything before</a>. Westwood’s creations of bondage trousers, ripped t-shirts and provocative slogans made a mark on culture and later <a href="https://theeverydaymagazine.co.uk/fashion/the-history-and-influence-of-punk-in-fashion">mainstream fashion</a>.</p>
<p>From her first show in 1981, <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/the-pirate-look-in-fashion-1981-2021">Pirate Collection</a>, Westwood subverted the conventions of traditional fashion. Inspired by <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/decoding-the-personal-style-of-vivienne-westwood#:%7E:text=Westwood's%20style%20was%20not%20solely,pliable%20and%20portable%20sandwich%20boards.">fashion history</a> she played with historic styles including the corset and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/vivienne-westwood-death-age-cause-fashion-b2253388.html">the crinoline</a>, creating innovative garments that will continue to influence fashion’s future.</p>
<p>As well as being a leader in transgressive design, Westwood has left a legacy in fashion activism. Never afraid to speak her mind, she was vocal against capitalism and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/opinion/vivienne-westwood-environment-politics-activism.html#:%7E:text=Dame%20Vivienne%20Westwood%20is%20a%20designer%20and%20activist.,publishing%20a%20diversity%20of%20letters%20to%20the%20editor.">the decline of the environment</a>.</p>
<p>Her activism was at the heart of her global brand. For Westwood, fashion was a way to get people involved in politics and other societal issues.</p>
<p>Westwood’s story is compelling, radical and sometimes controversial. Her work is imbued with a spirit of rebellion and there is hope that with Kronthaler that spirit will continue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197321/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naomi Braithwaite does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A rebellious spirit who sought to break the rules of fashion, but what will the House of Westwood be like without its eponymous designer?
Naomi Braithwaite, Associate Professor in Fashion Marketing and Branding, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194731
2022-12-12T04:25:21Z
2022-12-12T04:25:21Z
‘I want people to be afraid of the women I dress’: the celebrated – and often controversial – designs of Alexander McQueen
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500289/original/file-20221212-81291-f6pez3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C700%2C3409%2C1094&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Installation view of T he Widows of Culloden collection, autumn winter 2006 - 07 in Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse on display at NGV International from 11 December 2022 - 16 April 2023. Headpieces by Michael Schmidt </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Sean Fennessy</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse was first conceived at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. </p>
<p>That museum, like many around the world, is being <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-10-13/lacma-funding-news-update-construction">completely redeveloped</a> to embrace not just spectacular new buildings, but new attitudes towards museum collections. </p>
<p>Gone are the boundaries between materials, forms, cultures, nationalities and hierarchies of the arts. No more gallery of, say, “18th century North American silver” or “Medieval and Renaissance art in the European North”. Instead, arts from varied times, places and hierarchies all sit together. </p>
<p>An exhibition of the work of Alexander McQueen (1968-2010) was an interesting response to this challenge of a new museum, which also highlighted the relatively late arrival of fashion as a category worthy of study in the global museum. </p>
<p>It paired garments by McQueen – many specially donated by one woman collector – with the rich Los Angeles County Museum of Art collections in order to suggest the ways in which McQueen had generated his ideas. </p>
<p>Now the exhibition has come to the National Gallery of Victoria, with most of the McQueens on display here donated by Melbourne fashion philanthropist Krystyna Campbell Pretty. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gothic-vision-at-the-heart-of-alexander-mcqueens-savage-beauty-38544">The gothic vision at the heart of Alexander McQueen's savage beauty</a>
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<hr>
<h2>Flourishing postmodernism</h2>
<p>This new show is extensive. We have 120 McQueen looks and 80 other works of art. Paintings and decorative arts star in this show, notably the spectacular Jean-Baptiste Greuze painting of a young French actress in Turkish-style dress, on loan from Los Angeles. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=797&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=797&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=797&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1002&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1002&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500332/original/file-20221212-90146-2532t0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1002&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jean-Baptiste Greuze (France, Tournus, 1725-1805) France, circa 1790 Paintings Oil on canvas 46 x 35 ¾ in. (116.8 x 90.8 cm) Frame: 58 ½ × 45 in. (148.59 × 114.3 cm) Gift of Hearst Magazines (47.29.6)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Museum Associates/LACMA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The visual pairings, which range from 18th century English porcelain figures to lavish Russian gold-woven cloths, drive much of the tempo. </p>
<p>Important loans from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are joined by treasures from the NGV, including a spectacular Morris embroidered wall cloth and the Netherlandish flower paintings that contain within them the idea of <em>memento mori</em> – remember that you die.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1214&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1214&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1214&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500283/original/file-20221212-81291-9ad3nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Morris & Co., London (retailer) Henry Holiday (designer) Catherine Holiday (embroiderer) Hanging 1887 linen, silk (thread) 190.0 × 98.5 cm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased, 1976</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Lee Alexander McQueen was born in 1968, so he was young in the 1980s, absorbing all the flashes of art, design and culture in which postmodernism flourished. </p>
<p>Working-class, McQueen did not first go to art school as his middle-class counterparts might. Instead, he apprenticed in Savile Row, the epicentre of bespoke British tailoring, mastering the cut of jackets and trousers.</p>
<p>He became so technically proficient that when he applied to tutor technique at art school he was invited to enrol in a Masters. </p>
<p>And so the celebrated – and often controversial – McQueen high fashion design was born. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500284/original/file-20221212-95119-krmmcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Installation view of Look 30, coat from the Dante collection, autumn-winter 1996-97 on display in Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse at NGV International from 11 December 2022 - 16 April 2023. Headpiece: Michael Schmidt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Tom Ross</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>An immersive experience</h2>
<p>As well as new ways of dressing for women, McQueen gave us new ways of representing fashion: high concept runways, fashion films, live screenings and putting Paralympian Aimee Mullins on the runway, generating new modes of beauty.</p>
<p>At the NGV we have a fully immersive experience and bold scenography. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500285/original/file-20221212-90788-hv1x1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Installation view of Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse on display at NGV International from 11 December 2022 - 16 April 2023. Headpieces and shoes by Michael Schmidt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Sean Fennessy</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Mythos” examines three collections through the filter of mythology and theology. McQueen loved to make the present strange by incorporating elements from religious practice, even prejudice, from the past. </p>
<p>Everything from angels to demons, from witch burning to Catholic rites might be incorporated for design, fabrication or the runway. </p>
<p>These go past simply being artistic source material to generate new ways of looking and appearing for women. “I want people to be afraid of the women I dress,” he said.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500286/original/file-20221212-94530-9vw3eu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alexander McQueen Look 37, Eshu collection, autumn–winter 2000–01 © Alexander McQueen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Giovanni Giannoni, Vogue, © Condé Nast Model: Alek Wek</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This exhibition celebrates McQueen’s technical bravura across both tailoring and soft dressmaking, two categories of making clothes that were often conducted separate from the other in the west. </p>
<p>Intimate backstage photographs are shown, indicating how the clothes were really worn by models and friends. Here the “muse” is no longer a house model or elegant confidant, but rather a whole set of cultural reflections.</p>
<p>The third and final section is called “Fashion Narratives”. Here we see a visual imagination ranging across Siberia, Tibet and other exotic locales. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500288/original/file-20221212-91737-3510zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Installation view of Scanners autumn-winter 2002-2003 in Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse on display at NGV International from 11 December 2022 - 16 April 2023. Headpiece by Michael Schmidt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Sean Fennessy</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>McQueen might, in this section, be accused of cultural appropriation, but this would be unfair. </p>
<p>Rather than appropriation, his fashion designs were about fantasy, and fantasy put to good ends, making things from gender to place to sexuality off centre or strange, so we are aware of the fragile accord we have between our identities and our appearances. </p>
<p>As Catherine Brickhill, the first designer employed by McQueen to work on his label notes in the catalogue, McQueen: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>delved deep into the differences between our culture and other cultures. It wasn’t cultural appropriation, but an openness to and curiosity to be explored and celebrated.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Other narratives in this section include the most controversial ones that swirled around McQueen, notably <a href="https://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/tag/highland-rape/">Highland Rape collection</a>, in which McQueen suggested the appearance of Scottish widows during the Highland Wars in ripped and tattered clothes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman in a ripped blue dress" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=905&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500278/original/file-20221212-90420-k8glwk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1137&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alexander McQueen Slashed dress, Highland Rape collection, autumn-winter 1995-96 © Alexander McQueen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Vogue, © Condé Nast</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It would be as silly to accuse McQueen of misogyny here as it would to claim Elsa Schiaparelli hated women for dressing them in <a href="https://spikeartmagazine.com/?q=articles/tears-dress-elsa-schiaparelli-and-salvador-dali">ripped dresses</a> suggestive of assault or accident in the 1930s. </p>
<p>Instead, McQueen gives us clothes not just as theatre but as “choreographed deception”, in which male and female elements come together to cancel the other out.</p>
<h2>Beyond good</h2>
<p>In an era of increasing specialisation, vocational training and narrow fields of research and investigation, this exhibit shows us how a great designer goes beyond good.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=992&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=992&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500292/original/file-20221212-92053-9f9cod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=992&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alexander McQueen backstage at Pantheon as Lecum collection, autumn–winter 2004–05 show.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy the photographer Photo © Robert Fairer</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It shows us how his vision extended well beyond clothes to how they were imagined, and how women might imagine themselves, at all times.</p>
<p>When you wear trousers with a very low rear; slip on a <a href="https://textilefocus.com/overview-digital-textile-printing-technology/">digitally printed</a> fabric or which has allusions to nature – crystals, leaves, water; wear an asymmetrical outfit with slightly extended shoulders; don impossible shoes to your New Year’s party; or put on an eyeshadow that makes you look like a hummingbird: McQueen was there first. </p>
<p><em>Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse is at NGV International, Melbourne, until April 16 2023.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/clothes-women-wanted-to-wear-a-new-exhibition-explores-how-carla-zampatti-saw-her-designs-as-a-tracker-of-feminism-194040">Clothes women wanted to wear: a new exhibition explores how Carla Zampatti saw her designs as a tracker of feminism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194731/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter McNeil will lead a tour for Academy Travel to view the McQueen exhibition in February 2023.</span></em></p>
Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse at the National Gallery of Victoria is an important fashion exhibition that makes us consider how all the visual arts are inter-related.
Peter McNeil, Distinguished Professor of Design History, UTS, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/38544
2015-03-11T06:24:08Z
2015-03-11T06:24:08Z
The gothic vision at the heart of Alexander McQueen’s savage beauty
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74305/original/image-20150310-13567-11ax50f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alexander McQueen, It's Only a Game, S/S 2005.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">firstVIEW</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>London is about to experience an Alexander McQueen extravaganza. A <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/nick-waplingtonalexander-mcqueen-working-process">show at the Tate Britain</a> has just opened featuring Nick Waplington’s photographs of McQueen’s work in the run-up to his final autumn/winter collection in 2009.</p>
<p>But all the talk is about the long awaited <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/">Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty</a>, which opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum on March 14. This is an expanded and re-curated version of the exhibition first shown at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it attracted more than <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-01-12/moma-attendance-falls-met-museum-rises-driven-by-blockbusters">660,000 visitors</a> in three months and devotees reportedly queued for up to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/07/fierce-feathered-fragile-alexander-mcqueen-life">five hours</a> to get in. Its runaway success looks to be repeated in London, where the exhibition has already been extended until August to cope with demand.</p>
<p>So what is the reason for McQueen’s phenomenal popularity? Commentators regularly cite the tragic lure of his early death, his role as agent provocateur of the fashion world, and of course the beauty, originality and technical skill of his creations. But one element of his allure is mentioned much less frequently: the overtly gothic quality of much of his work. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1132&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1132&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74329/original/image-20150310-13564-1jy7fpa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1132&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Duck feather dress, Alexander McQueen, The Horn of Plenty, A/W 2009-10.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">firstVIEW</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Gothic, not goth</h2>
<p>The term “gothic” is an ambivalent one in the fashion press. Although regularly invoked by fashion editors, its association with “goth”, a youth subculture that emerged in early 1980s Britain and is often derided as hackneyed and gauche by outsiders, makes it <em>déclassé</em> for many designers. But this is a misrepresentation of both goth itself, a complex and evolving subculture, and the broader term gothic that informs it. Gothic refers to a rich and multivalent cultural tradition that is both distinctively British and distinctively of the moment.</p>
<p>The gothic has been one of the UK’s greatest cultural exports, from the novels of the 18th and 19th centuries that defined the genre to the subcultural music and style that continues to throw a long shadow over global youth culture. But after a long period in which the cultural establishment seemed slightly embarrassed about the nation’s gothic leanings, it appears it is finally ready to embrace them. </p>
<p>That such a change in sensibility has occurred can be seen from a series of major events at big public institutions. The British Film Institute’s <a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/bfi-unveils-gothic-dark-heart-film">Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film</a>, a six-month season of events and screenings held in 2013-14, was their most ambitious season to date. The British Library’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/oct/03/terror-and-wonder-the-gothic-imagination-british-library">Terror and Wonder: the Gothic Imagination</a> followed shortly afterwards in October 2014, and was likewise the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/press-releases/2014/october/terror-and-wonder-the-uks-largest-exhibition-of-gothic-literature-opens-at-the-british-library">biggest event</a> of its kind. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74327/original/image-20150310-13539-uvn4t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dress of dyed ostrich feathers and hand painted microscopic slides, Alexander McQueen, Voss, S/S 2001.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">REX</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From vampires to sportswear</h2>
<p>And it’s not just the museums. The gothic is everywhere in popular media too. From Twilight to American Horror Story, Hannibal to <a href="http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/blog/monstrous-obsessions-lady-gaga-horror-and-subversive-desire/">Lady Gaga</a> (who wears ensembles from McQueen’s Plato’s Atlantis in the video for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I">Bad Romance</a>), gothic is becoming one of the dominant modes of our time. Since the later 1990s, it has been an almost permanent fixture on the catwalk. It is reinvented for each new season, its latest iteration “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/oct/22/goth-streetwear-monochrome-and-sportswear-what-is-health-goth">health goth</a>”: a trend for darkly inclined sportswear that inspired Alexander Wang’s <a href="http://www.popsugar.co.uk/fashion/Alexander-Wang-HM-Collaboration-2014-34571864#photo-35939092">2014 collection for H&M</a>, among others. </p>
<p>Health goth is derived directly from street style, the juxtaposition of two styles that seem incompatible, fused into something new. McQueen’s use of gothic is more multifaceted – it draws on a broad vocabulary from literary, cinematic, art and fashion history to pose important questions about our relationships with our bodies, about desire, about mortality. </p>
<p>McQueen’s work speaks to our current love of the gothic like that of no other designer. Virtually all his work, from his MA graduation show, <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/coat-jack-the-ripper/">Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims</a> (1992), to his <a href="http://www.instyle.co.uk/fashion/news/alexander-mcqueen-aw-2010-the-final-show">final unfinished collection</a> (autumn/winter 2010), inspired by medieval ecclesiastical painting, engages with the gothic on one level or another. </p>
<h2>Obsessed with the past</h2>
<p>And the most overtly gothic is very gothic indeed. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drea7Dgi-h8">The Hunger</a> (spring/summer 1996) was named after the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085701/">cult vampire film</a> starring Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie and featured a transparent, moulded plastic corset encasing a layer of worms. And then <a href="http://bohemenoir.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/retrospective-givenchy-haute-couture.html">Eclect Dissect</a>, his autumn/winter 1997 show for Givenchy, was themed around a fictitious Victorian surgeon who collected women, animals and clothes from around the world and cut up and reassembled them. <a href="http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/experience/en/alexandermcqueen/archive/?years=2002&season=autumnwinter#id_article=166">Supercalifragilistic</a> (autumn/winter 2002), his tribute to Tim Burton, mixed up Batman with Grimm’s fairy tales and Marie Antoinette, and was staged in the prison where the French queen awaited the guillotine.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/74324/original/image-20150310-13573-1ojjqtp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tulle and lace dress with veil and antlers, Alexander McQueen, Widows of Culloden autumn/winter 2006-7.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">firstVIEW</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But perhaps the most quintessentially gothic quality of McQueen’s work is his fascination with history. Hauntings, revenants, ancestral curses and uncanny returns are the most definitive property of the kind of gothic found in films and books. The past also weighs heavy on the present for McQueen, whether the oppression of Scotland by England in <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/dress-highland-rape/">Highland Rape</a> (autumn/winter 1995) and <a href="http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/experience/en/alexandermcqueen/archive/womens-autumnwinter-2006-the-widows-of-culloden/">Widows of Culloden</a> (autumn/winter 2006), or the execution of an ancestor as a witch in <a href="http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/experience/en/alexandermcqueen/archive/womens-autumnwinter-2007-in-memory-of-elizabeth-howe-salem-1692/">In Memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem, 1692</a> (autumn/winter 2007). This sense of troubling histories working their way to the surface is expressed in the clothes themselves: in distressed fabric; screen-printed photographs; fragments of historical dress disassembled and reordered.</p>
<p>It is poignant, then, that McQueen’s work is increasingly read in the context of his own troubled past. His legacy is far more important than this. In his vividly original use of a gothic vocabulary to explore his own preoccupations, he offers a distilled expression of the preoccupations of our time.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/">Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty</a> runs from March 14 – August 2 2015 at The V&A.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38544/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Spooner contributed a chapter to the Victoria and Albert Museum's publication Alexander McQueen, ed. Claire Wilcox.</span></em></p>
In the designer’s embrace of this gothic past, he is an artist for our time.
Catherine Spooner, Senior Lecturer in English, Lancaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/28352
2014-06-23T13:09:16Z
2014-06-23T13:09:16Z
Butterflies, beetles and the fashion jewellery renaissance
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51926/original/k5kp72mj-1403520529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">22ct Gold Jewel Beetle Brooch by Shaun Leane.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>While jewellery and fashion have long been entwined, in the mid-1990s, both costume and fine jewellery lacked innovation. They were caught in a no man’s land of mass-produced chain-store brands, and failed to find a new direction during the recession. But this stagnancy has now dissipated, and <a href="http://showstudio.com/shop/exhibition/showcabinet_shaun_leane">a small exhibition at London’s Showstudio</a> provides one answer as to how and why this is the case. </p>
<p>Rising to fame in the mid-1990s through his dramatic collaborations with Alexander McQueen, <a href="http://www.shaunleane.com/">Shaun Leane</a> has been at the forefront of shifting the status of jewellery and arguably, its role within the fashion world. His jewellery’s impact is based on a delicate balance between seeming contradictions. It’s high fashion, yet formed from heirloom materials, such as gold and gemstones. It’s contemporary, yet imbued with a multitude of historical references. </p>
<p>Jewellery entered the world of luxury brands in the later 1990s, primarily through connecting more firmly to high fashion – for example with Marc Jacobs’ work at Louis Vuitton and Martin Margiela’s period at Hermes. There was a shift in interest towards artisanal skill, fine materials, apparent exclusivity, and significantly, fashion credibility. Investment pieces, whether Hermes bags, Louis Vuitton luggage or fine jewellery, regained their place in the echelons of high fashion. Accessories of all kinds became fashion leaders, while simultaneously asserting their status as heirlooms to treasure and keep. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=682&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=682&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=682&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51927/original/t278dd5p-1403520647.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Damien Hirst Butterfly Painting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Prudence Cuming Associates© Damien Hirst and Science Ltd</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While some big name brands exploited this to the full, and tested the very notion of investment to the limit, others were more innovative and thoughtful in their approach to this new-found consumer interest in workmanship and longevity. Smaller labels emerged, including the <a href="http://www.shaunleane.com/house-of-shaun-leane/heritage/">House of Shaun Leane</a> in 1999. These labels relied on design integrity and a sharper sense of fashion credibility. </p>
<p>But it was with the turn of the millennium, and the rise of internet shopping, that these small labels really got their opportunity. Sites such as <a href="http://www.astleyclarke.com/">Astley Clarke</a>, which is dedicated to jewellery, and broader luxury fashion sites led by <a href="http://www.net-a-porter.com/">Net-a-Porter</a> realised that there was a gap in the market – women were now buying jewellery for themselves, and were happy to purchase online. </p>
<p>This major shift in the way jewellery was purchased brought much greater awareness, and crucially, access to fine jewellery. It prompted an equivalent of fashion diffusion lines to develop in jewellery – less expensive ranges by jewellers including Leane. </p>
<p>But this “fashion jewellery” is also incredibly artistic – and hence the exhibition. It’s not only <a href="https://theconversation.com/savage-beauty-the-catwalk-conquers-museums-as-fashion-becomes-ultimate-spectacle-26361">Alexander McQueen</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-wedding-dress-from-queen-victoria-to-the-heights-of-fashion-26127">wedding dress</a> that are now considered to be art. </p>
<p>The current retrospective of Leane’s work at Showstudio is itself a tiny, jewel-like display. It draws you in, taking you from the creamy classicism of a smart London street, to view a glass-fronted wall of fierce, yet refined designs, each in its own contained area, as though on the shelf of a 17th century cabinet of curiosity. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/51929/original/265hzf7z-1403520837.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fire Opal Butterfly brooch by Shaun Leane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">SHOWstudio</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Leane’s work is placed next to its inspirations, from a Damien Hirst butterfly painting, to a box of glistening green beetles. The show also displays eight bespoke pieces, specially made to convey the attention to detail and fine workmanship that defines the brand.</p>
<p>Leane’s work draws its main influences from nature – he is perhaps most widely known for his signature “<a href="http://www.shaunleane.com/shop/silver-collections/signature-tusk.html">Tusk</a>” collection, which, as the name implies, is based on curving horn-like forms that fit around the wrist in colourful, gold-tipped Art Deco style bangles, or fall from the ear in sharp metals. This collection makes clear his ability to shift easily from solid, strong shapes that speak to his love of antique jewellery, to more aggressive forms that make explicit the ways jewellery can become part of the wearer’s body, piercing through the earlobe. </p>
<p>This skill reflects Leane’s eclectic training. Having undergone the rigours of a Hatton Garden goldsmithing apprenticeship, he gradually segued into fashion jewellery through his work with his longtime friend, Alexander McQueen. It is this link between a patient, lengthy training in the Dickensian environment of a classical jewellery studio, and the fast-paced seasonal tread of catwalk jewellery that has given Leane his unique edge, and makes him central to jewellery’s shift into fashion’s sphere.</p>
<p>The exhibition draws you into his world and reminds you of jewellery’s twin impact – as something to feel on your body, and as a glimmering, visual feast for the onlooker. This combined intimacy and visual spectacle has made fine jewellery a crucial part of high fashion in recent years, and this is something that is no doubt set to continue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/28352/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Arnold does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
While jewellery and fashion have long been entwined, in the mid-1990s, both costume and fine jewellery lacked innovation. They were caught in a no man’s land of mass-produced chain-store brands, and failed…
Rebecca Arnold, Oak Foundation Lecturer in History of Dress and Textiles , Courtauld Institute of Art
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/26361
2014-05-23T11:21:53Z
2014-05-23T11:21:53Z
Savage Beauty: the catwalk conquers museums as fashion becomes ultimate spectacle
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/49299/original/3j523f72-1400776250.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alexander McQueen's savage version of beauty.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Vicente/ AFP/ Alexander McQueen RTW A/W 1998/ Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/">Savage Beauty</a> – New York’s Metropolitian Museum’s wildly popular 2011 Alexander McQueen exhibition – is coming to London’s V&A in 2015. Excited? Bought your ticket already?</p>
<p>Well you should, because tickets went on sale in April. And, to quote the museum’s website, “we’re experiencing a huge demand”. At £17.60 each, and on the market almost a year in advance, this is no small claim.</p>
<p>This sales push equates a fashion exhibition with a big-name concert or festival, and firmly underlines its status as entertainment. The individual designer show has become a beacon in museum calendars. They’re guaranteed huge publicity from the designer’s marketing department, the fashion press and beyond. This endorses the canonisation of particular names – not just as significant to fashion history, but as bankable stars, who are able to command advance ticket sales and publicity far in excess of quieter exhibitions about particular themes, or eras.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49300/original/wsvgr6jh-1400776414.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Spectral brides.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Michel Dufour/ Alexander McQueen A/W RTW 2006/ Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From the start, Savage Beauty was pitched as spectacle, an event, rather than merely an exhibition of clothes. Publicity was intense. There was a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/22/alexander-mcqueen-designs-the-met">preview at London’s Ritz Hotel</a> of clothes to be shown in the exhibition, which brought together fashion stars and the Prime Minister’s wife, Samantha Cameron. Then there was a <a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2011/05/03/met-ball-2011-costume-institute-gala">McQueen-themed Met Ball</a> to launch the show, which was presaged by <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2011/05/daphne_guinness_changes_into_a.html">Daphne Guinness getting ready</a> for the occasion as a performance piece/window display at Barney’s, New York.</p>
<p>McQueen’s untimely death in 2010, his theatrically staged catwalk shows and high concept designs combined to produce intense interest in his life and work that extended beyond the fashion world. The Met’s show drew <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/press-room/news/2011/mcqueen-attendance">661,509 visitors</a>. These crowds put it in the museum’s top ten exhibitions ever, alongside more long-established curatorial subjects, such as its Treasures of Tutankhamun show in 1978, or its more recent Picasso exhibition in 2010. It therefore elevated fashion exhibitions, and their <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/curatorial-departments/the-costume-institute">Costume Institute</a>’s shows in particular, into the big league of international art shows. Alexander McQueen was now a guaranteed blockbuster name.</p>
<p>Significantly, Savage Beauty had a spin off effect on other aspects of the museum’s business. That year saw over 23,000 new members for the Met, the establishment of profitable variations in opening hours – until midnight during the final weekend – and US$50 special tickets to allow visitors in on Mondays, when the museum is usually closed. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/alexander-mcqueen-coming-home-to-the-va-museum-with-critically-acclaimed-savage-beauty-exhibition-9284696.html">Over 100,000 catalogues</a> were sold, as well as vast quantities of related products, including crystal skull paperweights and tartan handbags – both of which drew upon the designer’s signature materials and motifs.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1155&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1155&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/49301/original/bbcjbcdj-1400776509.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1155&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black swans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pascal Le Segretain/ Alexander McQueen RTW A/W 2009/ Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The numbers and scale of the show are therefore dazzling in themselves. This is before we even begin to think about the actual exhibition, its content, staging or significance in exploring McQueen’s oeuvre. It sparked so much media interest internationally that in August 2011 Grazia magazine’s British edition began <a href="http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/FashionEditorAtLarge/archive/2011/08/15/bring-mcqueen-exhibition-home.htm">a campaign to bring the show to London</a>. Interestingly, its petition and social media sites didn’t draw so much on the nature of the show as an undeniably spectacular viewing experience. Instead, the focus was the patriotic desire “To Bring McQueen Home”, as if the Met had somehow kidnapped our national treasure.</p>
<p>This is all good fun and grist to the mill in terms of gaining publicity for important museums, and let’s not forget, vital funding for such institutions. But what does it mean for fashion exhibitions and the study of fashion design and fashion history more broadly?</p>
<p>This is hard to judge, certainly. As someone who has tracked the rise of dress in the gallery over the past 20 years, I am always pleased to see more fashion, and more recognition for its cultural and material importance internationally. If it puts to rest the question of whether fashion “deserves” to be shown in the hallowed rooms of major art institutions, this is also a very good thing. This is a debate that has rumbled on for too long, and tends to ignore fashion’s importance culturally, socially, economically, and, yes, intellectually, as well as overlooking the vast and important body of scholarship that has grown up on the subject.</p>
<p>But a word of caution. While the excitement and interest shows such as Savage Beauty generate can encourage future designers and dress historians, as well as sparking the wider public’s interest in fashion’s myriad meanings and significance, fashion should not be reduced to spectacle, and it looks like this is a real danger. It is to be hoped that the funds generated by blockbuster shows will encourage museums to sponsor smaller, more analytical exhibitions. And this need for balance applies to all museum programming, not just those focused on fashion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/26361/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Arnold does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Savage Beauty – New York’s Metropolitian Museum’s wildly popular 2011 Alexander McQueen exhibition – is coming to London’s V&A in 2015. Excited? Bought your ticket already? Well you should, because…
Rebecca Arnold, Oak Foundation Lecturer in History of Dress and Textiles , Courtauld Institute of Art
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.