Provide A Detailed Critical Analysis of a Cultural Text Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2011-2012

Provide A Detailed Critical Analysis of a Cultural Text

Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2011-2012

The Death of Lee Alexander McQueen was a devastating event for the fashion world. It left the industry reeling. Although McQueen is no longer present-his name has been carried on in the fashion world by Sarah Burton - a designer who had worked with him for over 15 years. The first Alexander McQueen collection by Sarah Burton was hugely anticipated. It was so intriguing that a woman could carry on someone’s work even though they were no longer present. How could a different being with different thoughts, inspirations and opinions carry on his work? Although McQueen was not just ‘someone’, he was a man who had created many foundations for the basis of fashion trends over the past decade and a half, a man who dressed celebrities who are looked at as being fashion icons such as Lady GaGa and a man who had such distinctive characteristics and flare in his work that the world wondered is it possible for Burton to carry all of this on and how would she do it? Would she be able to succeed in the task that many thought impossible?

Alexander McQueen created theatrical performances, art works and fashion garments all in one. He sought not only to dress the women of the world and to compete with the ready-to-wear titans of the industry such as Christian Dior or Yves Saint Laurent but also set out to inspire them to artistic proportions, to open the cage of the commercial confines of fashion and reinvent the role of fashion in today’s society. He was often judged in the press and accused of misogyny due to his designs using, bondage chainmail and minute corsets. These designs were seen to objectify his models in a twisted, dark, sexual manner.  For Instance, his collection ‘Highland Rape’ of spring 1995 caused uproar in the  press, he caused a stir and was capable of shocking like no other British designer had done before. The performance of this collection consisted of women staggering down the catwalk with ripped garments, exposing their bodies and expressing violence and a deep darkness of which evoked emotions of the viewers, like no other British designer had done before. Whether people loved or hated his designs the statements he made and the way he portrayed women in such a disturbing way could not be ignored and it was this that set him on the map and famed the name Alexander McQueen. It was also these reasons that made the task such an intimidating mission to accomplish.

Burton is a seemingly normal and gentle with the stereotypical aspiration of a woman to have a family and become a mother. How could someone with such gentleness and aspiration take over The Lee Alexander McQueen and with it take on his name for her designs when he had such an individual outlook on women which gave his designs such individuality. Burton helped alongside him throughout her career, therefore had deep understanding of the name and his vision. There would’ve been aspects of her in the collections for the previous fourteen years, but would she be capable of carrying on the brand with the same darkness and emotion put into the collections.

Burton was open about not wanting to try to be Lee McQueen or try to take his place. She was fully aware that Lee McQueen’s mind was so different to everyone else’s and that she “could not pretend to be him”. Instead she wanted to stay true to his legacy by pursuing his vision through the “creation of modern, beautifully crafted clothes.” Similar to that of a scientific experiment, fashion is often at it’s best when a team works towards a goal and it often takes the mind of more than one person to create or discover brilliance. A scientific journal often

The first collection Burton completed without McQueen was Autumn/Winter 2011-2012. The venue was La Conciergerie in Paris where Marie Antoinette passed her last days before sh e was taken to the guillotine, this created a sinister, spooky atmosphere which gave a strong reference to Lee McQueen as it was where one of his first Parisian shows was held. The show itself was simplistic which was unlike the style of Alexander McQueen as he created spectacular, unorthodox performances. At the same setting ten years prior, McQueen had models leading wolves on leashes. The show was well lit with ‘ice queens’ walking down the runway at a pace slow enough to absorb the beauty and brilliance of each garment. The theme of the show gave a sense of power of which McQueen was known to have pushed for in his garments. Fur trims gave the animalistic character often seen prior to this collection and aspects of bondage and kinky lace up boots gave reference to the sexual side that often influenced McQueen’s work. The silhouettes of the garments unmistakably reflected that of a McQueen collection by using razor sharp tailoring, corsets and fuller skirts and the historical references included in each piece also were in strong reference to the label. The contrasts between the femininity of the gowns and the masculinity of the bondage like straps created such contrast which also is a distinctive characteristic favoured by the label.

Alexander McQueen was often judged for creating such innovative designs that were often deemed unwearable and Burton seemed to have injected a romantic sensibility into the designs by using softer tones between white and black with hints of Lilac in the colour ways and the elegance of the dresses that we often so harsh before. This toned down the masculinity, leading reviews to deem the collection more wearable than they had been previously. It had been said, “Sarah’s femininity gave the label a new dimension of elegance that is soft and more approachable to people that may not have looked at the clothes and thought that they could wear it.” People also said that they felt like “McQueen was still alive, but progressing.”

Although some people may argue that she isn’t carrying on his name because she is adding part of herself into the designs and adding a softness that was not seen in McQueen’s work, she is staying true to his legacy and herself. She is using key elements of his designs and is sticking to the powerful drama that was present in all his designs. Therefore, she is carrying on his attitude to work and is working toward a similar reaction from the audience - in that it evokes emotion, however, is creating this emotion simply through the visage of garments - rather than the façade of the shows he created to present his designs. Working toward his goals and staying true to his inspirations but combining them with her notions is improving and progressing the label. The rough edges are being refined, as she is able to add emotion into her work that is more relatable to the average person, which McQueen was not necessarily capable of. Lee Alexander McQueen was the designer and the basis of the brand. McQueen was not the brand itself – therefore, when he died the brand did not die with him.

Burton seems to have managed to not only continue Lee Alexander McQueen’s name but has continued his legacy, work and originality. Not only has she continued but has progressed and is progressing the label. Burton had proved this by the collection leading to the designing Katherine Middleton’s wedding dress, winning designer of the year 2011 and a garment from the collection also won dress of the year. She has managed to prove that she is capable of maintaining individuality and characteristics seen in Lee McQueen’s designs and is able to continue his work without trying to mimic or repeat anything he has done before. Burton is the designer and creative director and is working to move a lifetimes worth of work forward and is using her own skill and ability to do this as well as using her experience with McQueen to maintain a consistency of the basis of the label. She made it a success by staying true to herself, after all no one will ever be the same as Lee McQueen.