Alexander McQueen: From Star to Legend

The fashion world was rocked yesterday by news of Alexander McQueen’s apparent suicide. He was just 40 years old. News of his death lit up Twitter, blogs, and the press, and while those closest to him are grieving the loss of a friend and colleague, those who simply loved his work are mourning the loss of one of fashion’s most imaginative designers. After learning of his death, I took a quick look through my blog and was astonished to find I hadn’t yet featured any of his work. Shame on me.

Sometimes we get caught up in favorites, whether it’s favorite styles or favorite designers, and can overlook things that fall outside that purview. So I decided to take this opportunity to honor Alexander McQueen’s work and life, and you can bet you’ll be seeing some of his work on StyleCynics in the near future.

Born in London, Lee Alexander McQueen entered the fashion scene at a young age after dropping out of high school to pursue his passion. He took on apprenticeships with some major fashion houses, and spent time working in Milan before returning to London in 1994 to apply for a job as a pattern cutter tutor at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. After seeing his portfolio and recognizing the strength of his talent, the school’s headmaster convinced McQueen to enroll in the college’s curriculum. Subsequently, he received a Masters degree in Fashion Design.

Upon graduation, his entire collection was purchased by fashion stylist Isabella Blow. She talked McQueen into going by his middle name, Alexander, and the two became very close friends. It was her support and influence that helped McQueen establish himself as an up and coming designer.

Even from the beginning, his style was recognized as innovative, and his talent was sought by prominent people and celebrities. In the late ’80s, he designed clothes for Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Charles. Bjork approached him to design the cover of her 1997 album Homogenic. It remains one of the most unique album covers ever produced. But then, it’s Bjork. Everything she does is different from anything anyone else has ever done, or probably will do.

Although Bjork is only visible from about the waist up on the cover, McQueen went all out with the costume, even down to the shoes. Of the experience, Bjork said, “When I went to Alexander McQueen, I explained to him the person who wrote these songs—someone who was put into an impossible situation, so impossible that she had to become a warrior.

A warrior who had to fight not with weapons, but with love. I had 10 kilos of hair on my head, and special contact lenses and a manicure that prevented me from eating with my fingers, and gaffer tape around my waist and high clogs so I couldn’t walk easily. I wanted to put all the emotion of the album into that image.”

Most recently, McQueen had become the designer of choice for another unusual yet talented star, Lady Gaga. Theirs became a symbiotic relationship, progressing from her wearing McQueen’s designs on the red carpet and in her videos, to his using her music at his shows. In fact, Lady Gaga debuted the final cut of her song “Bad Romance” last October at McQueen’s Spring 2010 show. In the video for that song, Lady Gaga wears a pair of ten-inch stilettos that have been likened to lobster claws. Now, after the designer’s death, Lady Gaga is being called his “unofficial muse.” McQueen was also a favorite—and a friend—of Sarah Jessica Parker, who released a statement saying she is “shocked and overcome with grief” over his death.

It’s not uncommon for movie stars and recording artists to wear designer clothing, especially the more avant garde in the field, but one of McQueen’s most prominent endorsements came from First Lady Michelle Obama’s wearing some of his more conservative, tailored designs to several public events.

McQueen’s death comes just three years after the death of his close friend, Isabella Blow. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and apparently didn’t want to wait for the disease to take its course. After several attempts, she finally succeeded and committed suicide in 2007 by drinking weedkiller. McQueen was also very close to his mother, who interviewed him in 2004 for a newspaper. She asked him what his most terrifying fear was, to which he replied, “Dying before you.”

McQueen’s mother passed away on February 2 of this year, which devastated him. He was attempting to pull himself together to go on, and made notes mentioning this in his Twitter feed (which has since been taken down), but the loss may have been too much for him to handle.

I don’t think anyone ever commits suicide over just one thing, and we may never really know what was going through his mind when he made the decision to end his life. What we’re left with is a legacy of gorgeous designs left behind by a creative mind, and a designer whose absence from the fashion world will be felt for many years to come.