Alexander Mcqueen 2

Jane Wang Second draft research paper Jul 30h, 2012 Alexander McQueen Creativity is a very fallible thing, and Lee was very fragile, said the milliner Philip Treacy, who had worked with Alexander McQueen. McQueen, a British genius mood originator creating a large amount of provocative whole kit and caboodle in last two decades, committed a suicide be answer of the suicide of Isabella Blow and the loss of his m new(prenominal), who were two important supporters of his design (Wilson 89). The Spine Corset, the Skull Scarf, and the Bumster skirt ar the representative of the collections of his provocative and dark romantic beauty.McQueen unceasingly indicated the dark and deathly elements in his collections, critiqued inanity of the fashion world and expressed his personal life reflections in fashion design. He was the chief designer of Givenchy betwixt 1996 and 2001 and earned British Designer of the Year awards four times(1996,1997,2001 and 2003) (Wilson 89). In hurt of McQueen s intricate accommodate and provocative design styles, McQueen was signifi heaptly influenced by Gilbert Adrian, and Elsa Schiapargonlli in the aesthetic aspect Charles F expirationerick value had bear upon influences on McQueens.Adrian and Schiaparelli were fashion designers prevalent around 1930s and 19040s and Worth was popular in in earlyish nineteenth century. In McQueens collections, he applies Gothic Romance with minute black and complex enlace ornamentations. His collections focus on the expression of his feelings and moods it can be scary, disgusting, and romantic. McQueen is equivalent a poet who uses c smokestackhing to write his poetry. His runways can always make viewers specify, hardly not and enjoy the visual elements of c allothes. Suzy Menkes says of McQueens works, yucky images?But its a reflection of our nasty world. And a powerful fashion designer always ingests the ether of modern times. (Bolton 12). To me, McQueens runway shows are more like drama to convey McQueens savage and animate beingist beauty and death philosophy for fashion. In McQueens work, he indicates orientalism, classicism and English eccentrics, but also shows numerous clues for the future of fashion. As Eric Wilson said in 2010, As designers have done for centuries, Mr. McQueen neutered the shape of the body using corsetry and anatomically corrects breastplates as a recurring motif.More recently, his work took on progressively futuristic tones, with designs that combined soft draping with molding, or ones in which a dress seemed to morph into a coat. At his last show, in October, the models wore platform shoes that looked like the hulls of ships. (Wilson 1). According to the interview with Andrew Bolton, reservoir of Alexander McQueen shell Beauty, Bolton offers clues of designers affecting McQueens aesthetic. Bolton says, In terms of tailoring, McQueen was most influenced by designers whose technical acumen mirror his own, designers such as Gilbert Ad rian and Elsa Schiaparelli. (Interview 1). After I saw Schiaparelli fashion exhibition, I found galore(postnominal) direct Schiaparelli design concepts influences on Alexander McQueens contemporary collections. Schiaparelli invented culottes, wrapped turbans, Arab breeches, embroidered shirts, pompom-brimmed hats, and barbaric belts ( Smith 1). I think her Skeleton, Lobster, and Tear Dresses have the most obvious influences on McQueens fashion design, where he also utilizations a lot of animal elements to express a kind of savage and original beauty.As McQueen himself explains, Nature was the greatest, or at least(prenominal) the most enduring, influence upon me. Everything I do is connected to nature in one way or another Nature was also a central theme, if not the central theme, of romanticism. (Bolton 15). Take two standardised fashion designs from Schiaparelli and McQueen, The Skeleton Dress (Fig 1) and Spine Corset (Fig 2). Obviously, in both works, two artists utilize a b ackbone as a key element in their works. They both look scary and savage.In Schiaparellis work, she employs silk to gain a backbone effect, while McQueen changes literal to a kind of metal, which strengthen the bones lines and shock effect. Schiaparelli just uses pure black in this collection. Similarly, McQueen just applies the metals original color in his design, which is quite concise. ilk Schiaparelli, McQueen also tightens the cannon to indicate the silhouette of the body. Unlike Elsas slight decoration of the spine, McQueen extends the human spine to a kind of animal spine with the coccyx.Therefore, it is a good example to exemplify the Schiaparellis design influences on McQueens. Because of Boltons mention of McQueens tailoring influence from Gilbert Adrian, let us scram a look at their preceding(prenominal) works. Like Adrians womens suit, McQueens womens suit always has an exaggerated silhouette and the s pattern is obvious. McQueen also uses a lot of broad shoulders in suits puffed sleeves were created by Adrian, which was popular in 1930s and 40s American fashion ( History). The gigantic puff-sleeve dress style is continued in McQueens dress (Fig 4).Likewise, Adrians dress A strain of the air hostess Gown contains many puffed sleeves. They both create dresses with huge dress trains to express dresses falling and floating. Due to the similarity mingled with two designers fashion style, I chose one work from Adrian and one from McQueen to make a specific comparison. If we take a look at Adrians film custom dressing (Fig 3) A version of the Hostess Gown compared with McQueen dress (Fig 4) from Autumn/winter 201011, both artists modern style and innovative silhouettes come through.In Adrians work, he seems to employ silk to indicate a sand of freedom and flow. Similarly, McQueen uses translucent and light material to show the dancing-like movement of the dress. Like Adrian, McQueen also provides three perspectives of the dress, which looks lik e a dancing and swirling performer. Likewise, the dress hem of McQueens was tailored freely and asymmetrically. Adrian just slightly tightens up the waist in this work, whereas the bodice is designed as an extremely tight style by McQueen.Unlike Adrians concise decoration of flowers on the upper left shoulder of the dress, McQueen transforms patterns onto materials as decoration on the get along of the dress and added small puff-sleeve on the shoulder part. Both works give the viewer a sense of flowing movement nevertheless, McQueen accentuates the curved bodylines of the dress, which is imbued with a sense of elegance of a dancer and replaced the opaque material Adrian uses to a translucent material, which looks like the body of flowers to add more romantic feelings.McQueen not only divided similar tailoring ideas with other designers, but also the intricate and complex processes of dressmaking. Bolton also mentions, In terms of dressmaking, he looked to designers who shared his sense of theatricality and his bed of exaggerated silhouettes, such as Charles Frederick Worth, Christian Dior, and Charles James. (Interview 1). Worth was an English fashion designer of the 19th century, and also considered as the Father of Haute couture, which is make for specific guest with high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn intricate decorations.If we juxtapose both McQueen and Worths dressmaking works, they both are finished by the most experienced tailoring skills and hand-executed techniques. Especially, McQueens dressmaking reflects an aristocrtic style in palace of Middle 19th century, where the dresses had intricate Alencon lace decorations, expensive silk materials, bustles, tightened waists, and an embellished neckline. For example, looking at one of Worths evening dresses(fig 5), there are many obvious elements shared with a coat of dress from McQueens autumn/winter 2008 collections (fig 6).Both works have loose and puffed dress trains. In Worths work, he emplo ys corduroy in deep red color, which creates a solemn and elitist effect. Similarly, McQueen applies silk to red to express a figure of Queen. Like Worth, McQueen also cuts the shoulder parts of the dress with a puffed effect. However, McQueen repeats this effect in the neck part and strengthens it in the train of the dress. In terms of ornamentation, in Worths dress, there are Alencon lace patterns in the upper back, while McQueen utilizes intricate metals and diamonds as head decorations, which looked like a Queens crown.Indeed, the tailoring similarities between both designers are evident. However, McQueen updates the puffed sleeves with tightened wristbands to emphasize the 19th century aristocratic style. Without doubt, Alexander McQueen is a prolific and experienced fashion designer and his collections are multi-faced and cause viewers to think deeply. Even though he shared many similar aesthetics with other fashion designers, he recombined each tiny element he liked and produ ced novel, updated, McQueens work. As Bolton describes McQueen like a demonic Edward Scissor hands (Interview 1).Yes, I feel that McQueen is a devout Scissor hand. Although he received acrimonious critics of his provocative style, like the controversial Highland Rape, autumn/winter 199596, which even made viewers feel uncomfortable with the collections, he insisted on his own dark and death romance. Do you hark back the character Helena in A Midsummer Nights Dream? Helena believes that love has the power to transform something ugly into something beautiful because love is propelled by subjective perceptions of the individual, not by documental assessments of appearance. (Bolton 12) I think this idea is central of McQueens collections, which breaks the viewers boundary between ugliness and beauty. His aesthetic purpose is to force viewers look at the ugliness, examine the dark part of their inward beings and think about the savagery of nature. In addition, he updated Worth, Shiap arelli and Adrians designs with modern styles, novel textile, complex hand-making processes, which follow up the contemporary fashion society. . pic (Fig 1) Elsa Schiaparelli.The Skeleton Dress. France. 1938. Silk crepe pic (Fig 2) Alexander McQueen. Spine Corset. Untitled. Spring/summer. 1998 pic (Fig 3) Gilbert Adrian, A version of the Hostess Gown , 1930s and 40s pic (Fig 4) Alexander McQueen (British, 19692010). Dress. Autumn/winter 201011. pic (Fig 5) Charles Frederick Worth (French, Bourne 18251895 Paris). Evening Dress. 1893-95 pic (Fig 6) Alexander McQueen. Untitled. Autumn/winter. 2008 full treatment Cited Bolton, Andrew and Koda Harold.Savage Beauty. New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011. Print. History Wired Gilbert Adrian. National Museum of American History. Jan 2010. Web. 19 Jul 2012. Interview with Andrew Bolton, author of Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty. Yale University Press. 5 May. 2011. Web. 19 Jul. 2012. Smith, Roberta. DESIGN REVIEW For a Body that cip her Ever Had. NY The New York Times. Dec 7, 2001. Print. Wilson, Eric and Horyn, Cathy. Alexander McQueen, Designer, Is Dead at 40. New York Times Feb 2010 89. Web.