Long Live the McQueen

As you may or may not heard, the talented fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead yesterday in London. I was so shocked to hear this. All the talent he had. And those fabulous runway shows. Galliano has always been my favorite designer, but Alexander came in second. It's so sad to see the couture designers disappear. And what fabulous couture he did design. As a stylist, I admired his over the top details, ruffles, and bold patterns. Alexander McQueen, who was born on March 16th 1969 was a English fashion designer known for his unconventional designs and shock tactics . McQueen worked as the head designer at Givenchy, another of my favorite design houses, for five years before founding the Alexander McQueen and McQ labels. McQueen's dramatic designs, worn by celebrities including Rihanna, Björk and Lady Gaga, met with critical acclaim and earned him the British Fashion Designer of the Year award on four separate occasions.Alexander McQueen's early runway collections developed his reputation for controversy and shock tactics. McQueen was known for his lavish, unconventional runway shows, such as a recreation of a shipwreck for his spring 2003 collection, spring 2005’s human chess game and his fall 2006 show, Widows of Culloden, which featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss, dressed in yards of rippling fabric. The president of LVMH, Bernard Arnault caused a stir when he instated McQueen as head designer at Givenchy in 1996, succeeding John Galliano. Upon arrival at Givenchy, McQueen insulted the founder by calling him ‘irrelevant’. Thus, his first couture collection with Givenchy was unsuccessful, with even McQueen telling Vogue in October 1997 that the collection was “crap”. McQueen toned down his act at Givenchy, but continued to indulge his rebellious streak, causing controversy in Autumn 1998 with a show which included car-robots spraying paint over white cotton dresses, and double amputee model Aimee Mullins striding down the catwalk on intricately carved wooden legs. McQueen stayed with Givenchy until March 2001, when the contract he said was "constraining his creativity" was ended. McQueen's death was announced on February 11, shortly after he was found dead at his home on Green Street, in London ,where paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. McQueen's death came days before London Fashion Week, although McQueen was not scheduled to show. The Mistress would be honored to where any of these frocks!