British designer Alexander McQueen designed 36 womenswear collections under his eponymous fashion label during a career that lasted from 1992 until his death in 2010.[a][3] As a designer, McQueen was known for sharp tailoring, historicism, and imaginative designs that often verged into the controversial.[4] His runway shows were known for being dramatic and theatrical, with some including elements of performance art.[5][6] McQueen drew inspiration for his clothing and shows from a broad range of sources, including film, history, nature, world religions, art, and his own life.[12] Through his work, he explored themes such as romanticism, sexuality, and death.[13][14]
Frock coat from graduation collection, Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims (1992)
Dress from unfinished final collection Angels and Demons (Autumn/Winter 2010)
He used unusual cuts and silhouettes to play with the human form, making wearers appear inhuman.[15] Early in his career, he originated an extreme low-rise trouser cut called the "bumster", which became a brand signature.[16] Other significant designs include the skull scarf, another brand signature, and the armadillo shoe, often worn by singer Lady Gaga.[17][18]
Womenswear was the focus of McQueen's career. In his early collections, he sometimes presented menswear or had male models walk in the shows, but his label did not have a regular menswear line until 2004.[19][20] From 1996 to October 2001, McQueen was also – in addition to his responsibilities for his own label – head designer at French fashion house Givenchy, for which he produced both haute couture and ready-to-wear collections each season.[8][21][22] This article concerns itself with McQueen's own-label womenswear collections.
Collections
| Collection | Season | Show date | Show location | Themes and inspiration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims | 1992 graduation collection | 16 March 1992[23][24] | Duke of York's Headquarters, London[b][23][24] | London serial killer Jack the Ripper and prostitution in the Victorian era, particularly their practice of selling locks of hair[29][30] | Thesis collection for Master's degree in fashion at Central Saint Martins; purchased in its entirety by editor Isabella Blow[24] |
| Taxi Driver | Autumn/Winter 1993 | March 1993[24] | The Ritz Hotel, London[24] | Taxi Driver, a 1976 neo-noir film by Martin Scorsese; to a lesser extent McQueen's taxi driver father[31][32] | Debut of bumster trousers; exhibited rather than shown on runway;[c] no pieces survive as entire collection was accidentally lost immediately following the exhibit[33][16] |
| Nihilism | Spring/Summer 1994 | 18 October 1993[34] | Bluebird Garage, London[34] | Eclectic collection with no straightforward theme, general pushback against trend for womenswear to be soft and feminine[35][36] | First professional catwalk show[36] |
| Banshee | Autumn/Winter 1994 | 26 February 1994[37] | Café de Paris, London[1] | The Gaelic banshee, a spirit whose wailing foretells death; romanticised survival through tragedy[37] | Isabella Blow walked in the show[37] |
| The Birds | Spring/Summer 1995 | 10 September 1994[38] | Bagley's warehouse, London[38] | The Birds, a 1963 natural horror film by Alfred Hitchcock; ornithology; the mathematical designs of graphic artist M. C. Escher[39] | Corsetier Mr Pearl walked as McQueen's first male model; first McQueen show styled by long-time collaborator Katy England[38] |
| Highland Rape | Autumn/Winter 1995 | 13 March 1995[34] | Natural History Museum, London[34] | English violence towards Scotland, especially the Jacobite risings and the Highland Clearances[40] | First critically-significant collection, led to 1996 hiring by Givenchy[40] |
| The Hunger | Spring/Summer 1996 | 23 October 1995[34] | Natural History Museum, London[34] | The Hunger, a 1983 erotic horror film featuring vampires[41] | First time McQueen showed menswear; first show produced by Sam Gainsbury, who would produce every subsequent show[41] |
| Dante | Autumn/Winter 1996 | 1 March 1996[42] | Christ Church, Spitalfields, London[42] | Religion and warfare; named for Dante's Inferno, a 14th-century epic poem describing Hell[41] | First appearance of English supermodel Kate Moss in a McQueen show[41] |
| Bellmer La Poupee | Spring/Summer 1997 | 27 September 1996[42] | Royal Horticultural Hall, London[42] | Poupée, a 1934 series by surrealist photographer Hans Bellmer, which presented deconstructed dolls as a commentary on Nazi ideals[19] | First show worked by Sarah Burton, who became McQueen's right-hand woman; Black model Debra Shaw walked while shackled to a metal frame, generating controversy[19] |
| It's a Jungle Out There | Autumn/Winter 1997 | 27 February 1997[42] | Borough Market, London[42] | Life cycle of the Thomson's gazelle; savagery of the fashion industry; paintings by the Old Masters[19] | Set accidentally caught fire during the show[19] |
| Untitled | Spring/Summer 1998 | 28 September 1997[43] | Gatliff Road Warehouse, London[43] | Transformation and metamorphosis; human-animal hybridisation; John Galliano collection "Forgotten Innocents" (Spring/Summer 1986)[44][45] | Originally titled The Golden Shower in reference to the sex act and retitled after objections from sponsor American Express[44] |
| Joan | Autumn/Winter 1998 | 25 February 1998[43] | Gatliff Road Warehouse, London[43] | Martyrdom and persecution in the medieval era, especially that of French folk heroine and saint Joan of Arc[44] | McQueen was photographed for The Face magazine in April 1998 in hair and makeup similar to that used in this show[46] |
| No. 13 | Spring/Summer 1999 | 27 September 1997[43] | Gatliff Road Warehouse, London[43] | Arts and Crafts movement of the 1880s to 1920s; finale inspired by Rebecca Horn installation High Moon (1991)[47] | Show ended with model Shalom Harlow being spray-painted by robots[47] |
| The Overlook | Autumn/Winter 1999 | 23 February 1999[48] | Gatliff Road Warehouse, London[48] | The Shining, a 1980 psychological horror film by Stanley Kubrick, particularly its winter setting[47] | First attendance of Vogue editor Anna Wintour at a McQueen show[49] |
| Eye | Spring/Summer 2000 | 16 September 1999[50] | Pier 94, New York City[48] | Islamic culture and clothing, especially the burqa; relationship of Western world to Middle East[51] | First time presenting outside of London[51] |
| Eshu | Autumn/Winter 2000 | 15 February 2000[51] | Gainsborough Studios, London[51][52] | Named for Yoruba deity Eshu; African-inspired primitivism with elements of Victorian fashion[51] | Anti-fur activists broke into the venue before the show and vandalised the set, necessitating a police response[53] |
| Voss | Spring/Summer 2001 | 26 September 2000[54] | Gatliff Road Warehouse, London[54] | Staged as a voyeuristic look inside a stereotypical insane asylum; dresses of unusual materials like seashells and microscope slides[54] | Finale showpiece presented author Michelle Olley nude, masked, and covered with live moths, in a recreation of Sanitarium (1983), a photograph by Joel-Peter Witkin[54] |
| What A Merry-Go-Round | Autumn/Winter 2001 | 21 February 2001[48] | Gatliff Road Warehouse, London[48] | Dark underside of carnivals and circuses; Child Catcher villain from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)[54] | Final presentation at Gatliff Road; first appearance of skull print that is now a signature of the brand[54] |
| The Dance of the Twisted Bull | Spring/Summer 2002 | 6 October 2001[55] | Stade Français sports club, Paris[55] | Spanish culture, especially bullfighting and flamenco dancing[56] | First collection after selling label to Gucci Group; first McQueen collection shown in Paris[56] |
| Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious | Autumn/Winter 2002 | 9 March 2002[55] | La Conciergerie, Paris[55] | Films of American director Tim Burton, especially Sleepy Hollow (1990); English school uniforms; photography of Helmut Lang[56][57] | Lighting and invitation by film director Tim Burton[58][59] |
| Irere | Spring/Summer 2003 | 5 October 2002[55] | Grande halle de la Villette, Paris[55] | Three-phase narrative: shipwrecked pirates, drowned maidens in black, and birds of paradise[60] | Debut of the "oyster dress", a riff on a 1987 design by John Galliano called the "shellfish dress"[61][62] |
| Scanners | Autumn/Winter 2003 | 8 March 2003[63] | Grande halle de la Villette, Paris[63] | Journey eastward through the clothing of northern Eurasia: Siberia and the Russian Far East, Tibet, and Japan[60][64] | Clear plastic wind tunnel was suspended over the runway for some models to walk through[65] |
| Deliverance | Spring/Summer 2004 | 10 October 2003[63] | Salle Wagram, Paris[63] | Depression-era fashion, expressed as dance performance based on 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?[66] | Choreography by dancer Les Child; McQueen's usual severe tailoring was dropped to enable the models to dance[67] |
| Pantheon ad Lucem | Autumn/Winter 2004 | 5 March 2004[63] | Grande halle de la Villette, Paris[63] | Ancient Greek draped garments; science fiction films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)[66] | Entire title often incorrectly translated as Latin for "Towards the Light"; this is the correct translation for "ad lucem" but neglects to account for "pantheon"[66] |
| It's Only a Game | Spring/Summer 2005 | 8 October 2004[68] | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris[68] | Contrast of fashion cultures played out as chess-like game inspired by giant chess scene from film of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)[69] | Chess game choreographed by dancer Les Child[70] |
| The Man Who Knew Too Much | Autumn/Winter 2005 | 4 March 2005[68] | Lycée Carnot, Paris[68] | 1950s fashion, particularly as seen in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)[69] | Show invite based on theatrical poster for Hitchcock's film Vertigo (1958); first McQueen handbag, named for actress Kim Novak, who frequently appeared in Hitchcock films[69] |
| Neptune | Spring/Summer 2006 | 7 October 2005[71] | Imprimerie Nationale, Paris[71] | 1980s fashion, including power dressing, hard glamour, and body conscious designs[72] | All models were at least 5'11" in reference to the 1980s trend for Amazonian supermodels[73] |
| The Widows of Culloden | Autumn/Winter 2006 | 3 March 2006[71] | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris[71] | Second examination of English violence towards Scotland in more mature and melancholy terms; centres the widows of the Battle of Culloden (1746)[72] | Show closed with an illusion of Kate Moss as an apparition within a glass pyramid at the centre of the stage[72] |
| Sarabande | Spring/Summer 2007 | 6 October 2006[71] | Cirque d'hiver, Paris[71] | Exploration of fragility and decaying grandeur through floral motifs[74] | One dress was covered with fresh flowers, which began to fall off on the runway in a moment of serendipitous beauty[75][76] |
| In Memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem, 1692 | Autumn/Winter 2007 | 2 March 2007[77] | Le Zénith Arena, Paris[77] | Religious persecution conducted by Puritans in 17th century; ancient Egyptian religion; occult symbolism[74] | Final McQueen show styled by Katy England[74] |
| La Dame Bleue | Spring/Summer 2008 | 5 October 2007[77] | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris[77] | Reinvention through fashion; avian and butterfly motifs; personal style of Isabella Blow[78][79] | Collaboration with Philip Treacy to memorialise their mutual friend Isabella Blow, who committed suicide in May 2007[78] |
| The Girl Who Lived in the Tree | Autumn/Winter 2008 | 28 February 2008[80] | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris[77] | Fairy tale narrative about a girl who lived in a tree; British culture and national symbols; clothing of India during the British Raj[78] | Philip Treacy created a single headpiece for the collection: an enormous peacock with fanned tail, made from driftwood and sea fan coral[81] |
| Natural Dis-tinction Un-natural Selection | Spring/Summer 2009 | 3 October 2008[82] | Le Centquatre, Paris[82] | Beauty of nature contrasted with the impact of human industry[83] | First of final three collections which shared a theme of the destruction of nature by humanity[84] |
| The Horn of Plenty | Autumn/Winter 2009 | 10 March 2009[82] | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris[82] | Dark satire of the fashion industry with pastiches of notable designers and McQueen's past works; many items made to resemble trash[83] | Dedicated to McQueen's mother[83] |
| Plato's Atlantis | Spring/Summer 2010 | 6 October 2009[82] | Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris[82] | Human evolution following global flooding as a result of climate change[17] | Final fully-realised collection; first livestreamed fashion show in history; debut of the armadillo shoe; debut of Lady Gaga single "Bad Romance"[17][85] |
| Angels & Demons | Autumn/Winter 2010 | 10 March 2010[17] | Hôtel de Clermont-Tonnerre, Paris[17] | Religious paintings of the Medieval and Renaissance periods[17] | Collection left incomplete at the time of McQueen's suicide in February 2010, completed posthumously by his assistant Sarah Burton; title is unofficial[17] |
Notes
References
Bibliography
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clothing designed by Alexander McQueen.
- Bethune, Kate (2015). "Encyclopedia of Collections". In Wilcox, Claire (ed.). Alexander McQueen. New York City: Abrams Books. pp. 303–326. ISBN 978-1-4197-1723-9. OCLC 891618596.
- Bolton, Andrew (2011). Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. New York City: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-412-5. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- Bolton, Andrew (2018). "III. Fashioning Devotion". Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. Vol. II. New York City: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-645-7. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- Bowles, Hamish (2014). Vogue & the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute: Parties, Exhibitions, People (1st ed.). New York: Condé Nast. ISBN 978-1-4197-1424-5. OCLC 871511830.
- Callahan, Maureen (2014). Champagne Supernovas: Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and the '90s Renegades Who Remade Fashion. New York City: Touchstone Books. ISBN 978-1-4516-4053-3.
- Deniau, Anne (2012). Love Looks Not with the Eyes: Thirteen Years with Lee Alexander McQueen. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-61312-415-4. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- Fairer, Robert; Wilcox, Claire (2016). Alexander McQueen: Unseen. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-22267-8. OCLC 946216643.
- Gleason, Katherine (2012). Alexander McQueen: Evolution. New York City: Race Point Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61058-837-9. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- Thomas, Dana (2015). Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. New York City: Penguin Publishing. ISBN 978-1-101-61795-3.
- Watt, Judith (2012). Alexander McQueen: The Life and the Legacy. New York City: Harper Design. ISBN 978-1-84796-085-6. OCLC 892706946.
- Wilson, Andrew (2015). Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin. New York City: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-7674-3.
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