From the Savage Beauty exhibition at London’s V&A museum: the works of the great, late Alexander McQueen on display for the World to see. This exhibition shows the great artistry, the profound beauty, which McQueen created with his collections. You are dazzled by the stunning detail with which each dress or piece of clothing is created. It is impossible to ignore the incredibly unusual, and challenging materials employed for each garment, and to see how intricately and flawlessly they have been put together.
This exhibition picks out the eminently beautiful pieces from McQueen’s collections, and allows us to focus on the beauty he created, and reminds us that what he created resembled works of art on the catwalk.
What the exhibition does do, is steer us quietly away from the unsettling drama, which McQueen so often gave us with his shows. The undertone of death and violence, which so often ran through the collections when shown, is missing from this exhibition. Instead we are given a truly beautiful array of masterpieces, with with to remember the genius of Alexander McQueen.
As the thought provoking and challenging designer, McQueen is, he know how to effect the onlookers emotionally capturing their being not allow them to look away. As you enter the exhibition, it feels as if the mind, influences and darkness has entered the individual to allow them to feel how McQueen at that moment in time.Which increases the curiosity of whether this is for our eyes only.
Throughout the event, quotes were displayed that inspired his ways and behaviour. Revered as of his working background from the studios of East London to Saville Row where his first collection was born.
An airy voiceover of Alexander McQueen’s thoughts felt as if he was speaking from the afterlife of what he through of the career. As one of the first people to produce as shock factor such as women’s cleavage that was deemed controversial got the onlookers to either name or shame him in his career drew a large amount of happiness as either way it was great publicity for him and his collections. Numerous film references showed McQueen’s love of film such as the films ‘Taxi Driver’ and the Alfred Hitchcock film ‘The Birds’ had a large amount of inspiration for the first collection shown. The collection is striking and avant-garde that I doubt that anyone has seen anything that this. It is purely legendary how he portrays his emotions into his work.
“I want to be the purveyor of a certain silhouette or a way of cutting, so that when I’m dead and gone that people will know that the 21st Century was started by Alexander McQueen”
Throughout his tailored collection, it is clear to see that being from a tailored background the regalness and sophistication is shown and inspired by Britain.
However, it also left me to wonder if the European culture and the Far East create influences too. Also, there have been rumours that in McQueen’s tailoring days he once sew ‘I’m a C*nt’ into one of Prince Charles suits showing his tongue and check humour (not proven to be true).
His fascination with dead animals in turn created a large amount of inspiration for his next collection. Displayed in a room of bones, we see inspiration from African Native dress which shows his research into numerous tribes.
Of Scottish heritage, McQueen looked into classic tartan and how this predominately British and Scottish material that is used to display his roots as a stamp of his identity. With the use of exaggeration that shows that he is not the norm. Telling a story throughout with his thoughts as a major factor.
In the following room, I felt completely overwhelmed. Numerous pieces displayed as a gallery with previews of past shows. I got to feel his experiences and influences that made him who he is a designer. It is said that the show is thought of before the collection as the sceptical within produces emotions that the onlookers may have never experienced.
One dress which is spun in the centre of the room creates a centre point that allows spectators to wonder the story.