Daring designer Alexander McQueen may have left us in body but a new exhibtion at the V&A proves that through his clothes his spirit lives on.
The razor-sharp tailoring, the endless plumes of feathers, the vivid plaid and leather masks – Savage Beauty pays homage to a career which continues to astound and delight the fashion world.
It feels like a real home-coming for the exhibition, which started in New York in 2011, and it opens with words straight from the Lewisham-born designer: “London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.“
The son of a taxi driver, he grew up in the East End and left school at 15 to become a tailor’s apprentice on Savile Row in Mayfair, and those early-learnt skills are evident in even the most outlandish of garments from the designer.
But it is his ability to take us away from reality and make us dream of worlds where woman are draped in lush flowers and encased in sculptural black feathers and silver dragons tails, that made him adored and which shines through.
The designer’s life-long passion for the beauty and fragility of nature is celebrated in Romantic Naturalism
Set in a ‘cave of bones’ Romantic Primitivism includes garments crafted from horn, skin and hair
It’s hard to imagine a more sensory and thrilling experience than walking from a gilded mirrored ballroom filled with gothic gowns, including pieces from his final, unfinished collection, to a darkened cave of bones with swimmers swirling in the ceiling and dresses of bead encrusted hair and layered leather.
And the beating heart of the exhibition – The Cabinet of Curiosities – which is filled floor to ceiling with McQueen’s creations is an unforgettable experience which cleverly helps you to see his work together but absorb it piece by piece.
As the great man said himself: "There is no way back for me now. I'm going to take you on journeys you've never dreamed were possible."
V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL, until August 2. Details: 0800 912 6961, vam.ac.uk
Romantic Gothic includes pieces from McQueen's unfinished final collection
The Cabinet of Curiosities
Romantic Exoticism
McQueen’s most celebrated catwalk show VOSS which featured an enormous glass box has been recreated for the exhibition
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here