Alexander the Great conquers NY post mortem - and I'm not there to see it

From McQueen's Fall '06 collection, shot by Steven
Meisel for Vogue US (from fashiongonerogue.com)

This summer, there is one place I'd really really like to go. Which is unfortunately not very realistic.  See, I've never been to the US, and have always wanted to visit New York, but I am dying to go there particularly this year to see the posthumous McQueen exhibition at the Met, "Savage Beauty".

I've been a fan of McQueen pretty much ever since I became interested in fashion (which is quite a long time ago, really), and was very saddened when he passed away. In my last post I spoke of Damien Hirst, saying that what I liked about him was how he played with our concept of death, that his art was both beautiful and disturbing at the same time. Much the same is the reason for my admiration for Alexander McQueen; he also toyed with this theme, for example in the gown below from the Spring '07 collection, adorned with actual flowers, some of which fell of the dress as it went down the runway. It was an interesting comment on the eventual decay of beauty, I thought. Real flowers have always been more beutiful to me than the fake ones, even if they are of good quality, because the beauty of real flowers is passing, and will eventually wither away - which reminds us to appreciate it while it's there. 

Look from the McQueen Spring '07 collection, featured in Vogue US in the story
"Alexander the Great", shot by Steven Meisel (from fashiongonerogue.com)

Also, most of McQueen's collections were very couture-like; even if his label didn't have a place in the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture, he made some of the most stunning, elaborate and exquisite garnments I can remember. But at the same time he retained an (in my mind) very British quirkiness along with a good deal of self-irony - notice the antlers which are a part of the look on the first picture in this post. 

Alexander McQueen, Fall '10. Pictures from Style.com

The last collection he did himself was the Fall 2010 ready-to-wear; another gorgeous collection, and I guess he died at the height of his career - joining ranks with Marilyn Monroe and others. Still, I wish he'd gone more in the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn, pulling out of the business if he wasn't happy with it anymore, but living a long life anyhow. 

The McQueen fashion house now has a new head of design, Sarah Burton, and so far I'm not too crazy about her designs, but she does of course have quite a legend to live up to. She did manage to make a rather nice wedding dress for the new Duchess of Cambridge, though ;)

Oh how I wish the Met could magically be transported to Copenhagen, or even just London, so I'd have the money to go see the exhibition!