Last year we lost one of the fashion world’s most prized possessions in the death of Alexander McQueen. This year he was brought to new life within the “Savage Beauty” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibit was a prolonging of the life that McQueen breathed into the fashion world, with his innovative designs and provocative artistry. It was a final glance at the genius that is Alexander McQueen.
With extended hours, long waiting lines, and a total of 661,509 visitors since it opened May 4, “Savage Beauty” was certainly the fashion event of the summer, or, as some believe, of the century. It was the 8th most popular Met exhibit in it’s history.
I was among the lucky individuals who got a chance to visit the event that has been the talk of the fashion world for some time now. After over a full month since my visit, it still seems impossible to befuddle the right words to describe the unique imagery that created the grandiose yet eerie nature withheld within the exhibit.
So, how do I describe the indescribable? Perhaps the best way is by bringing you into a capsule of McQueen’s mind; a mind that was exposed through beautifully ominous settings and awe-inspiring clothing; a mind that will continue to inspire the current and future fashion industry.
Take a Tour of the McQueen Exhibit at The Met
McQueen once said, “I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil.” The “Savage Beauty” exhibit followed along the lines of this personal mentality by taking viewers on a journey through McQueen’s thought processes. Each room displayed a scene, all perfectly distraught. Music echoed through the galleries eerily reminiscent of something one would expect out of a horror film. The unique backdrops created a haunting overlay to viewers as they stood inches away from each impeccable collection. It was an exhibit that perfectly emulated McQueen’s philosophy of creation; to be conceptual before actually creating the collections.
Upon entering “Savage Beauty” viewers were exposed to two pieces; McQueen’s red ostrich feather dress and his razor-clam shell dress. Both pieces were from his spring/summer 2001 collection “VOSS”. A quote painted on the wall read, “I’m a romantic schizophrenic” which seemed to truly emphasize the state of mind that made Alexander McQueen a fashion genius.
Beyond the entrance was the first room appropriately titled “The Romantic Mind” which showcased McQueen’s romanticism for tailoring. It featured twenty-six tailored jackets, separate from his career, which were encased in stone walls. Distressed mannequins, haunting background music, and the cold industrial look emphasized the contrasting element of beauty and torture in McQueen’s designs. The strikingly beautiful collections against the distraught mannequins effortlessly showed the art in the cut of each piece .
After becoming fully immersed into the Alexander McQueen realm, escaping from “The Romantic Mind”, awestricken and without words, the journey continued into the “Romantic Gothic and Cabinet of Curiosities.” To the right stood an incredible ensemble made completely of duck feathers from McQueen’s collection titled“The Horn of Plenty”. The dark lighting and chilling atmosphere allowed viewers to enter deeper into the psyche behind the clothes, emphasizing the emotional nature of the exhibit.
Along the way, McQueen’s quotes lied faintly on the dark walls, as if he was completing the journey with you, room by room, piece by piece. An eerie sense of his brilliance was brought to climax in a small room where a clip from the incredible “Widows of Culloden” collection was playing. The Kate Moss hologram (formerly seen in one of McQueen’s runway shows) was displayed with fantastically horrifying music lurking in the background.
Each room continued to have an astonishing effect as I stood just an arms length away from some of the most unimaginable creations to ever be seen. Perfectly dyed lab slides created into a bodice, a metal corset, animal skulls as shoulder adornments, a skirt of horsehair, elaborate headpieces, the crazed “Armadillo” boots; nothing was left out. Runway clips from his most memorable shows played among the rooms, reinforcing Alexander McQueen’s ability to not only create a gorgeous fashion collection, but also theatrically bring it to life.
The brilliance of McQueen was his strength in creating a conceptual journey within his collections. Seeing the elaborate inner working of each ensemble truly brought his fashion-driven mind-set to life. His clothes weren’t just beautifully designed; they symbolized the true collaboration between art and fashion, ultimately bringing a deeper meaning to a world that is often thought of as superficial.
The “Savage Beauty” exhibit truly was a once-in-a-lifetime event. However the tragedy of McQueen’s loss seemed more profound after being immersed into his world for the last time. In the end, I suppose McQueen said it best: “It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholic but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle- everything has to end. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things.”
A Rare Interview with Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen and “The Bridegroom Stripped Bare”
Megan Tschida is currently attending Baylor University and pursuing a degree in Fashion Merchandising and Journalism. Megan is sharing her journalistic talents by writing for the Fashionably Connected Online Magazine.
