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| Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. |
While in the midst of a lovely, laid back Memorial Day I rang up my best girlfriend (and former Milwaukeean) in New York City, Crystal. She told me excitedly that she had just come from the Metropolitan Museum of Art after viewing Scottish designer Alexander McQueen’s fashion retrospective there entitled, “Savage Beauty.”
“You have to come to see this. We thought of you so many times as we were walking through. The music’s great too, so rock ’n‘ roll! It’s so inspiring!” I immediately booked a weekend trip since all I knew were a few sketchy facts about the late designer, and once decried his overuse of the skull motif in a column, it was necessary for me to find out for myself what made Lee Alexander McQueen tick, before the exhibit closed in early August.
Once settled in NYC, I set out on a muggy Sunday morning, with my traveling companion Thomas to get to the Met before it opened at 9:30 a.m. Upon our arrival I was bowled over by the thousand or more people already in line to enter the hallowed halls of the prestigious art institution. This biographical fashion exhibit has broken all records for attendance according to the New York Times. Why did this young, (only 41) designer elicit this kind of reaction from the masses? That’s why I’m here, I thought to myself. “What becomes a legend most?” the tag line for an ad campaign in the ’70s came to mind, as we made our way to the very end of the long, long queue.
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| The line outside the Met. |
Once inside the museum, while in yet another infinite line I chatted up a group of gals from Wilkes Barre, Pa., who were there on a bus tour, about fashion, art and design as we inched forward. Swell gals all. The handy guide supplied by the Met entitled, “McQueen Line Trek: The Taming Of The Queue,” described notable artworks along the roped off route, and helped make the two hour wait go by in a flash while whetting our appetite for the main event with tidbits about the designer. People-watching was even more fascinating: all ethnicities, genders, ages and nationalities were represented in the extremely patient throng. I’ve always said that fashion is populist, and more importantly should be accessible to all who want to view or even wear it. It seems obvious that the powerful allure that fashion has on the general public has been proven time and time again. But that is only if the artist is provocative, transparent in motive and talented enough.
The anticipation was palpable as we finally stood in front of the entrance to the Costume wing. The Met doesn’t simply display garments; they have created separate environments that helped the viewer understand the art of design as well as the designer. McQueen’s quotations were liberally sprinkled through the rooms, and that helped make sense of his aesthetic. One was, “It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things.” For example, the stunning red gown whose bodice was covered in hand painted glass microscope slides that represented blood morphed into a soft-crimson-feathered skirt. The balance between the seedy and beautiful thus becomes one. An undisputed master of bespoke tailoring, McQueen, viewers were told, reveled in the equally intricate back-stories that provided the motivation in the staging of his collections.
Creating larger than life interpretations of his dreams and fantasies is what really put Mr. McQueen into the rarified world of the legends of fashion and design. You cannot describe the exhibit so much as feel it. While looking at one of his most stunning pieces a black feathered evening gown that re-defined the models form, while at the same time enhancing it was incredible in its strength and fragility. The idea that feathers could be constructed into something foreboding and powerful yet feminine was brilliant. Another McQueen quote was, “I’m inspired by a feather but also its color; its graphics, its weightlessness and its engineering. It’s so elaborate. In fact, I try and transpose the beauty of a bird to women.” The audio tour provided insight and gave background to some of the displays, such as a hologram of model Kate Moss floating and slowly spinning in a dress that puts the word “gossamer” to shame. It was ethereal and magical.
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| Bjorn’s new McQueen-inspired ring; SNASH jewelry by Shanna Nash. |
When gazing at his work you can see the relationship he has to every stitch and each bit of organza, willing it all to come together in his preferred vision. Curiously silent in the galleries, there seemed to be a sense of awe surrounding everyone, as if his motives and message were clear. Another quote I loved was, “I am attracted to the grotesque because it is usually ignored.” The accessories featured were often somewhat sadomasochistic or gothic medieval looking. Leather and metal corsetry were a given in most of his collections. One that mimicked the human spine made out of aluminum inspired me to buy this silver claw double ring at a flea market in Williamsburg after viewing the exhibit.
McQueen supporter and patron, Lady Gaga has told many interviewers that “Fashion of his Love,” a song from her most recent album, is about her relationship with the late fashion designer. The lyrics explore the platonic friendship between the two visionaries, and praise the confidence that a person exudes when wearing a piece by McQueen.
Thank you to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for allowing us to experience the man who was once called, “the enfant terrible” of fashion, through the language of his exquisite garments. We his enamored audience, faced life, death, romance, nature, and the splendor of the spirit realm all in one fell swoop. The world needs more eccentrically brilliant showmen and artists like Mr. McQueen. They allow us to point a finger at our skewed visions of beauty and glamour while at the same time celebrating it. Bravo!
See more images from the exhibit in our album here.
