Must See: Enough of the Royals, New York is mad for McQueen!
Just last week his eponymous label became a household name for non-fashionistas when Kate Middleton walked down the Royal Wedding aisle wearing a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown and changed into a second McQueen dress by for the reception.
Then there are the rest of who have been mesmerized by the art of his designs that went beyond what is known as fashion and into an extraordinary realm of self-expression and creativity into a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity.
Alexander McQueen Ensemble, Widows of Culloden, autumn/winter 2006–7 Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Solve Sundsbo / Art + Commerce
The designer who committed suicide in February 2010 is the subject of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute exhibition for Spring 2011, “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” that had it’s gala last night. The retrospective opens to the public tomorrow.
The exhibition celebrates the British designer and couturier’s Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection in 1992 all the way through his final runway presentation, which took place soon after his death.
Before last night’s Met Gala, New Yorkers had the luxury of watching one of Alexander’s McQueen’s friends, the heiress and eccentric fashion icon Daphne Guinness “getting dressed” in a pale-gray duck and ostrich feather Alexander McQueen gown, with an exaggerated hip, for the event later last evening in the windows of Barney’s New York as a performance piece.
Daphne Guiness began the evening with a performance piece of dressing herself in the Windows of Barney’s NY. The windows feature twenty-six complete looks from Guinness’s extensive archives, ten of which were created by Alexander McQueen.
The experimental voyeuristic performance served as the launch of Barneys New York windows that feature twenty-six complete looks from Guinness’s extensive archives, ten of which were created by Alexander McQueen, and some pieces from the Isabella Blow collection.
>> MORE: Fashion’s Red Carpet at the Met Gala
Then there was the star-studded, fashion heavy Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala that did not disappoint. Brad Boles tweeted, “OMG, the red carpet at the Met Ball is like the L.I.E. in rush hour! More glam and rocks than one could dream of in a life time,”
At the ball…
Daphne Guinness wearing Alexander McQueen Lilac feather dress with exaggerated hip (SS11)
Anna Della Russo wearing Alexander McQueen Black duchesse satin tailcoat, white shirt and gold fern embroidered trousers (SS11) Gold snakeskin hobnail boots (SS11)
Salma Hayek wearing Alexander McQueen Peach organza Rose dress (couture) Samurai sandals (Pre SS11) Clear Perspex clutch (SS11)
Barneys New York’s Amanda Burton outside the store event with Hamish Bowles wearing Alexander McQueen Embroidered tartan cape, white shirt, black waistcoat, tartan trousers and bow tie (AW06)
More celebrites in Alexander McQueen:
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Alexander McQueen may be know for his impossibly over-the-top big ticket items, but there are plenty of accessories, small pieces, shoes, and jewelry to tzuj up any wardrobe:
Exhibition Details:
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Costume Institute Retrospective
Metropolitan Museum Museum of Art
May 4–July 31, 2011
Online: metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/
Celebrity photos: Courtesy of Alexander McQueen
Daphne Guiness/Barney’s photos: Courtesy of Barneys New York
Exhibition photos: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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