Designer Spotlight: Remembering The Great Alexander McQueen

Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the death of avant-garde mastermind, Lee Alexander McQueen. The true talent of McQueen lies in his intricately weaved concepts and his execution of flawless and refined tailoring.

In a world full of life, McQueen was surrounded by death. After enduring the passing of his mother as well as close friend and mentor Isabella Blow, McQueen, 40, hanged himself in his London home using his favourite belt.



McQueen and his mother

Beginning his career as a tailor budding from England’s Savile Row, McQueen launched what would become his self-titled empire.



Yves Saint Laurent partner Pierre Berge could not admit that McQueen contributed to the fashion industry. On the contrary, it cannot be doubted that his work inspired new aesthetics and the breaking out of fashion’s conventions.


THE WORK OF MCQUEEN

His work, known for being theatrical, confronting and non-conforming was enveloped by concepts of social commentary that pushed boundaries and reasoning. McQueen’s work has always been characteristically feminine and sexual. Using his creations to communicate the place of women, the underlying qualities are of tragedy that is both powerful and provocative. It is fragile and almost existential and mentally challenging.

The unveiling of the “bumster” pants was hailed as obscene as they revealed the top of the model’s bum. McQueen sought to highlight the common sagging pants and, in turn, contributed to the generation of low-rise hipsters.


The "Bumster" pants

Highland Rape was one of his most raw and confronting shows. McQueen channeled his Scottish decent when he shed light on one of the United Kingdom’s greatest injustices. The show highlighted the suffering and rape of the highland women at the hands of the British. Tartan structural dresses, as well as torn, mangled and blood-stained pieced hung off disheveled models as they descended the runway.


McQueen's Highland Rape

The SS 10 show Plato’s Atlantis contributed to the futuristic style of digi- and hyper-print fashion where McQueen embraced the age of digital imagery without forgoing his couture roots. An avid scuba diver, McQueen translated the largely unseen sea world into his prints, cuts and even his infamous Armadillo heels.


McQueen's Plato's Atlantis


THE FUTURE OF MCQUEEN

Sarah Burton, the label’s new creative director, has vowed to keep the very essence of McQueen embedded in the brand’s future collections. Admitting she will lend her own softer touch, Burton’s debut as successor proved a hit and continuation of McQueen’s legacy.


Sarah Burton

The last collection to be worked on by the hands of McQueen was AW 10/11 where Burton finished the remaining 80 percent left incomplete. Reminiscent of the Elizabethan era, it was a tribute to the dead in all of its past majestic luxury and royalty. With an emphasis on texture, the beautifully ornate and rich tapestries, fabric and prints haunt of the renaissance. Ironically, and possibly deliberately, McQueen’s obsession with death and the afterlife is obvious in the collection - otherwise known as McQueen's very last bow.

Designer Spotlight: Counterfeit Country – Is Tom Ford right?

Following the unveiling of Tom Ford’s SS 11 show, commentary behind his concept of secrecy begins. His ultra-private runway, in attempt to avoid his work being copied and overexposed via the internet, provokes the question about how detrimental counterfeits and knock-offs are to the industry.


Tom Ford SS11 Collection

Many like myself are pro-authentic, AKA "all or nothing", but consider what effect “fakes” have on our society as a whole. Rip-offs may, in fact, help to promote an egalitarian society and diminish the presence of the poverty line where the rich are very rich and the poor are very poor. After being told of a poor Vietnamese man sitting by the side of the road with the biggest and most extravagant D&G belt, perhaps counterfeits help give everyone access to and become involved in the fashion industry, regardless of what level.



On the contrary, what effect does the old Vietnamese man have on the industry? Stefano Gabbana probably doesn’t want this image associated with his label. The fact is, high-end designers want their wares to be worn by the upper class to reaffirm the division of society. Without these classes, what would make designer fashion any more special than something picked up from St Vincent de Paul?

The issue of piracy in the film industry has plagued the fashion world likewise. It isn’t fair and takes away from the quality and concepts that designers, particularly those from Australia, bring to the table both nationally and internationally.

Sass & Bide's Black Rat pants are an example of an Australian designer piece which was copied and mass produced. Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, the masterminds behind the label, worked their way from a stall in London's famous Portobello markets to worldwide recognition. The tireless work and draining effort that consumes designers is constantly being short-changed.


Sass & Bide Black Rats

So, is Tom Ford right in making a statement against the immediacy and exhausting of designer pieces by the media and the internet? Or is the digital age and the subsequent designer copies leading to the greater good?

Designer Spotlight: Tom Ford's Secret SS11 Show Finally Revealed

If you don’t know who Tom Ford is, you should. If you’re a male, take heed – a Tom Ford suit is sophistication at its best.


His six-year return to womenswear this season has been tightly under wraps until now. Hiring only one photographer to shoot, Ford wanted to keep his work away from the immediacy of the internet and the world of knock-offs. He questions the industry and cyber world’s thirst for new knowledge now and the rise of internet shopping. Ford told WWD that designer pieces are being overexposed and by the time their work reaches boutiques, the look has been done and worn out as consumers and the media turn to look for what’s “newer”. So after much anticipation for access to his secret SS 11 show, the curtains have finally been lifted.



This American designer, with a reputation for his openly sexualised campaigns, brought his signature old Hollywood glamour into the limelight this season. Since boosting sales during his time as Creative Director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, his own label TOM FORD is soaring in success. For some time now, Ford has been creating all that is sharp and chic with a masculine sexiness saturated in rich opulence for men and women. His tailored fits, defined cuts and enhancements of the figure make his work both sumptuous and seductive.


Tom Ford with part of his SS11 collection

Tom Ford has the ability to port you into a different era, one that is far more grand, elegant and luxurious. Everything from his latest collection to his latest lipstick line communicates Tom Ford’s brand a la luxurious brilliance.