Alexander McQueen : Evolution

From Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, his 1992 graduate collection, to Plato's Atlantis, the last show before his death in 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen was as celebrated for the exquisite tailoring, meticulous craftsmanship, and stunning originality of his designs as he was notorious for his theatrical—and often controversial—runway shows. McQueen found inspiration for his avant-garde collections everywhere: his Scottish ancestry, Alfred Hitchcock movies, Yoruba mythology, the destruction of the environment—even the fashion industry itself. Whatever his inspiration, however, McQueen’s concept for his runway show came first and was crucial to the development of the collection. Every show had a narrative and was staged with his characteristic dramatic flair. Highland Rape featured disheveled models smeared with “blood” staggering down the runway in town clothes. In Scanners, two robots sprayed paint on a model trapped on a spinning platform. In Widows of Culloden, a hologram of supermodel Kate Moss held center stage. Other McQueen shows staged models walking through water, drifting snowflakes, rain, and wind tunnels; pole-dancing in garish makeup at a carnival, playing living pieces in a bizarre chess game, and performing with trained dancers in a Depression-era-style marathon. Illustrated throughout with stunning photography and liberally sprinkled with quotations from McQueen and those who knew him best, Alexander McQueen: Evolution is the story of the designer’s thirty-five runway shows and the genius behind them. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 3 Title......Page 2 Introduction......Page 5 Nihilism, Spring/Summer 1994......Page 17 Banshee, Fall/Winter 1994–95......Page 21 The Birds, Spring/Summer 1995......Page 25 Highland Rape, Fall/Winter 1995–96......Page 29 The Hunger, Spring/Summer 1996......Page 33 Dante, Fall/Winter 1996–97......Page 37 La Poupée, Spring/Summer 1997......Page 41 It’s a Jungle Out There, Fall/Winter 1997–98......Page 45 Untitled, Spring/Summer 1998......Page 49 Joan, Fall/Winter 1998–99......Page 53 No. 13, Spring/Summer 1999......Page 57 The Overlook, Fall/Winter 1999–2000......Page 63 Eye, Spring/Summer 2000......Page 69 Eshu, Fall/Winter 2000–01......Page 73 VOSS, Spring/Summer 2001......Page 77 What a Merry-Go-Round, Fall/Winter 2001–02......Page 85 The Dance of the Twisted Bull, Spring/Summer 2002......Page 91 Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Fall/Winter 2002–03......Page 95 Irere, Spring/Summer 2003......Page 99 Scanners, Fall/Winter 2003–04......Page 105 Deliverance, Spring/Summer 2004......Page 109 Pantheon ad Lecum, Fall/Winter 2004–05......Page 119 It’s Only a Game, Spring/Summer 2005......Page 125 The Man Who Knew Too Much, Fall/Winter 2005–06......Page 133 Neptune, Spring/Summer 2006......Page 139 Widows of Culloden, Fall/Winter 2006–07......Page 145 Sarabande, Spring/Summer 2007......Page 153 In Memory of Elizabeth How, Fall/Winter 2007–08......Page 161 La Dame Bleue, Spring/Summer 2008......Page 169 The Girl Who Lived in the Tree, Fall/Winter 2008–09......Page 177 NATURAL DIS-TINCTION UN-NATURAL SELECTION, Spring/Summer 2009......Page 185 The Horn of Plenty, Fall/Winter 2009–10......Page 193 Plato’s Atlantis, Spring/Summer 2010......Page 203 Posthumous Collection, Fall/Winter 2010–11......Page 209 Epilogue......Page 213 Photo Credits......Page 214 "From Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, his 1992 graduate collection, to Plato's Atlantis, the last show before his death in 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen was as celebrated for the exquisite tailoring, meticulous craftsmanship, and stunning originality of his designs as he was notorious for his theatrical--and often controversial--runway shows. McQueen found inspiration for his avant-garde collections everywhere: his Scottish ancestry, Alfred Hitchcock movies, Yoruba mythology, the destruction of the environment--even the fashion industry itself. Whatever his inspiration, however, McQueen's concept for his runway show came first and was crucial to the development of the collection. Every show had a narrative and was staged with his characteristic dramatic flair. Highland Rape featured disheveled models smeared with "blood" staggering down the runway in town clothes. In Scanners, two robots sprayed paint on a model trapped on a spinning platform. In Widows of Culloden, a hologram of supermodel Kate Moss held center stage. Other McQueen shows staged models walking through water, drifting snowflakes, rain, and wind tunnels; pole-dancing in garish makeup at a carnival, playing living pieces in a bizarre chess game, and performing with trained dancers in a Depression-era-style marathon. Illustrated throughout with stunning photography and liberally sprinkled with quotations from McQueen and those who knew him best, Alexander McQueen: Evolution is the story of the designer's thirty-five runway shows and the genius behind them"-- Source other than Library of Congress "From Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, his 1992 graduate collection, to Plato's Atlantis, the last show before his death in 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen was as celebrated for the exquisite tailoring, meticulous craftsmanship, and stunning originality of his designs as he was notorious for his theatrical--and often controversial--runway shows. McQueen found inspiration for his avant-garde collections everywhere: his Scottish ancestry, Alfred Hitchcock movies, Yoruba mythology, the destruction of the environment--even the fashion industry itself. Whatever his inspiration, however, McQueen's concept for his runway show came first and was crucial to the development of the collection. Every show had a narrative and was staged with his characteristic dramatic flair. Highland Rape featured disheveled models smeared with "blood" staggering down the runway in town clothes. In Scanners, two robots sprayed paint on a model trapped on a spinning platform. In Widows of Culloden, a hologram of supermodel Kate Moss held center stage. Other McQueen shows staged models walking through water, drifting snowflakes, rain, and wind tunnels; pole-dancing in garish makeup at a carnival, playing living pieces in a bizarre chess game, and performing with trained dancers in a Depression-era-style marathon. Illustrated throughout with stunning photography and liberally sprinkled with quotations from McQueen and those who knew him best, Alexander McQueen: Evolution is the story of the designer's thirty-five runway shows and the genius behind them"--Publisher's web site

From Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, his 1992 graduate collection, to Plato's Atlantis, the last show before his death in 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen was as celebrated for the exquisite tailoring, meticulous craftsmanship, and stunning originality of his designs as he was notorious for his theatrical-and often controversial-runway shows. McQueen found inspiration for his avant-garde collections everywhere: his Scottish ancestry, Alfred Hitchcock movies, Yoruba mythology, the destruction of the environment-even the fashion industry itself. Whatever his inspiration, however, McQueen’s concept for his runway show came first and was crucial to the development of the collection. Every show had a narrative and was staged with his characteristic dramatic flair. Highland Rape featured disheveled models smeared with 'blood' staggering down the runway in town clothes. In Scanners, two robots sprayed paint on a model trapped on a spinning platform. In Widows of Culloden, a hologram of supermodel Kate Moss held center stage. Other McQueen shows staged models walking through water, drifting snowflakes, rain, and wind tunnels; pole-dancing in garish makeup at a carnival, playing living pieces in a bizarre chess game, and performing with trained dancers in a Depression-era-style marathon. Illustrated throughout with stunning photography and liberally sprinkled with quotations from McQueen and those who knew him best, Alexander McQueen: Evolution is the story of the designer’s thirty-five runway shows and the genius behind them.