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25th November 2012

The Artist: Long Live McQueen

Miles Zilesnick on whether the people at Alexander McQueen take the ‘art’ aspect too far…
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Undoubtedly one of the biggest names in British fashion and known to
 be equally as outlandish. His shows have consisted of placing models in a wind tunnel for the exploration of displaying fabric, torn clothes symbolising the rape of Scotland by England and even using a hologram model of Kate Moss on the runway.

In regards to his ‘unwearable fashion’, one of his most extreme pieces includes a collaboration between graffiti and art, where a model was elevated in the midst of a show and spray painted, not too unlike the Citroen Picasso advert. If you haven’t seen the McQueen video yet, I’d highly suggest you put down this paper and watch it. To some, the piece would appear to be a wedding dress violated by a Banksy wannabe, or for other fashionistas, an expression of the fluidity of fashion. Personally I just thinks it looks really cool.

Another favourite of mine, yet more predictable, are McQueen’s iconic Armadillo shoes. His 10inch heels famously featured in the video for Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’, which appear impossible to walk in, let alone dance in. These glittery devils look incredible, but I can guarantee it is not acceptable to wear them in any respectable social situation, (unless of course you know of a higher class edition of Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.) Either way, I still think they look amazing despite their potential excessiveness.

Photo: Sartorial Editorial Blogspot

Since the tragic death of McQueen however, his old work has taken on a certain kind of reverence. His fashion house still lives on through the like-minded work of Sarah Burton, who designed Kate Middleton’s stunning wedding dress, now on display at Buckingham Palace. A timeless classic, representative of British fashion.


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