Behind Alexander McQueen’s Cobalt Door

By Ana Piteira / October 31st, 2011 in Talks / New York / 199 views

New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn gives compelling insight into Sarah Burton, the Alexander McQueen Paris atelier who was assigned the enviable role of Creative Director of the fashion house following McQueen’s tragic suicide in 2010. The Alexander McQueen fashion house has a long-standing reputation for controversy and shock tactics with a 1995 collection entitled Highland Rape and using runways that recreate ship wrecks and human chess games.

Under Burton’s direction, the brand has been described as lighter with more optimistic sensibilities. The ethereal beauty of the clothes is exacerbated in this latest collection that has a fundamental under-the-sea vibe and was inspired by anatomy and art nouveau. Here Burton describes the highly detailed construction of the garments with every intricacy meticulously designed to meet the aesthetic of the powerful McQueen woman, while Horyn muses on the culture of fashion journalism.

Alexander McQueen ignites a unique level of passion from his fans. Despite being open for only three months, the posthumous exhibition of McQueen’s work in 2011 titled ‘Savage Beauty’ was the most popular in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s history. Fans and industry professionals subsequently rallied to make the exhibition a traveling one so that McQueen’s vision and work might be shared and embraced worldwide.