"A Tale of Silk and Feathers . . . "




Greetings,  

Last week's visit to New York holds many great memories . . . but, easily one of the most profound was an afternoon visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - to experience the "Savage Beauty" exhibit.  And I use the word 'experience' instead of simply 'viewing' or 'seeing.'  True art should move you.  Should transform you.  Should alter the vantage point from which you see life.

And seeing the retrospective of visionary Scottish fashion designer Alexander McQueen did that exact thing to me.

Alexander McQueen - (1969 - 2010)
“Alexander McQueen’s iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “This landmark exhibition continues the Museum’s tradition of celebrating designers who changed the course of history and culture by creating new possibilities.”
                                                                        - from the Alexander McQueen Website



The large installation consists of almost a dozen smaller galleries - with various examples of McQueen's work gathered by theme and inspiration more than simply organized by season or collection.  It very clearly highlights many repeating themes that ran throughout his career.  

Following are a several images from the exhibit - as well as some of my all-time
personal favourites from McQueen's runway shows . . .

"Widows of Culloden" Collection, Fall 2006
"Oyster" Dress, Spring 2003
"The Widows of Culloden" Collection, Fall 2006
Savage Beauty Exhibit, Metropolitan Museum of Art


Savage Beauty Exhibit, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fall 2006


Spring 2007
Alexander McQueen and Sarah Jessica Parker, at the
Metropolitan Museum  Costume Institute's Gala in 2006.
"I will always remember him arriving and walking up the steps to the Metropolitan Museum with Sarah Jessica Parker and the two of them were both these two visions in matching tulle and tartan and he was just so excited and thrilled to be there."
                                                -Anna Wintour, Vogue Magazine 


The following video is an amazing tour through the exhibit.  


Cheers,
Scot

Comments

D said…
Impeccable timing. You always capture the intersection of fashion and design. My dearest friend just returned from NYC and raved about the Metropolitan Museum's McQueen exhibition. I now live in anticipation of my birthday gift arriving: a copy of the Savage Beauty book! Thanks for this stunning visual feast of a blog post.
Claudia Juestel said…
I must to get back to NYC before the exhibit leaves! We just got there a little too early during the last visit. It is definitely a MUST SEE, and I am not surprised that you were moved Scot.

Alexander McQueen's passing is such a tremendous loss to fashion and art. Only to dream of how much more he could have achieved. I cannot wait to see glimpses into his genius at "Savage Beauty".

Cheers,

Claudia
quintessence said…
Wonderful coverage. I can't believe I haven't seen this yet. So sad - what an incredible talent!!
Rebecca R. Dyer said…
Extraordinary!
Thank you for posting this.
WE can never see enough of these images and his work-each time is a marvel. I am going to see the show in June and cannot wait! thanks for the preview. pgt
Maison de lin said…
Hello,

This is just perfest! Thanks to sharing this whit us.

Greetings
Jérôme
AlwaysMe said…
That was fabulous. I had to pause it several times to look at each piece in detail. Thank you for sharing.

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