Alexander Mcqueen: Examples of Eternal Elegance

This, no doubt, will be just one in a countless surge of commemorative articles celebrating the work of Alexander McQueen as word of his death continues to stagger the fashion world. To lose this decade’s darling of design at the height of his success is an unsettling reminder of life’s capriciousness, yet the significance of his recent achievements remains inspirationally steadfast. The following three pieces represent all that is covetable about McQueen design and will remain memorable both in their status as modern classics and as celebrity endorsed fashion ‘moments’.

Spring 2009: The Ethereal Fairy Dress

As though plucked from Titania’s bower, exotic beauty Chanel Iman glided effortlessly down the runway connected as one with the fabric softly brushing her body – and a fashion moment was born. Like a ‘breathe’ at a dancer’s ballet barre, the tasselled folds of the asymmetric hemline rippled like an echo to her movements. In a moment, McQueen had established his expertise of the female silhouette and his unique ability to make fabric dance upon it. Delicate leaves in a sugared-almond palette of mint green, pistachio, violet and buttercream lay sprinkled across the exposed chest creating a cobwebbed lace effect as delicate as sugar glaze.

The string of leaves draped down the centre of the torso, adding a gentle structure which streamlined the silhouette. The leaf designs were etched upon a baby pink chiffon so delicate that it appeared to gleam like mother-of-pearl under the soft apricot lighting.

This was a creation so exquisite that it could have be used as confirmation that fashion must be synonymous with art. Or, could it be as aptly used, conversely, to support the ‘fashion is fashion and nothing more’ approach? Despite the undeniable sex appeal of the dress as worn by the toned and picture-perfect Cheryl Cole on her 25th birthday, it loses some of its natural magic, does it not? But perhaps I’m just jealous…

Cheryl Cole in Alexander McQueen at her 25th Birthday Party

Spring 2009: Structured in Sequins

In an entirely different manipulation of the female form, McQueen replaced fairytale fluidity with this empowering ultra-structure. With an effortless ‘I can do better than that’ nod to the Spring 09 micro-mini trend, the dress took the slimming benefits of the mini to a new level, cinching the waist to resemble that of a tiny Wonderwoman doll and lengthening legs to flamingo-like proportions beneath the supersized bell skirt.

Yet far from resembling the gaudy dress of a female superhero the ensemble - balanced with a delicate under-cami ofmuted beige - retained its femininity within the low-cut oval scoop neck and softly capped sleeves. Set against a fresh bare face and butter-blonde hair gathered into a ponytail, the dress was youthful, girly and playful: contributing factors no doubt for Gwyneth Paltrow when she chose to go for gold in the ensemble for the 2009 Oscars.

Spring 2010: The Season of the Supershoe

This year’s most controversial fashion moment so far comes in the un-ignorable form of the McQueen 10 inch Supershoe, a mythic mutation of the traditional female leg-line into a faun-like hoofed silhouette. Never before in fashion have hooves been considered desirable and only Mcqueen, perhaps, could have managed to make such a concoction appear breathtaking, elegant and strangely alluring. The method to his madness is the undeniable fact that oversized structures – recently seen in sunglasses, handbags, extreme shoulders - can make women appear slimmer by fooling ones perception of proportion. The likelihood that these shoes will penetrate onto the highstreet has been catapulted by the success of Lady Gaga’s endorsement in her video for ‘Bad Romance.’ The metallic reptilian ‘Gaga’ shoes are amongst the most captivating of McQueen’s creations: glossy gems of emerald green and petrol blue are tightly clustered, covering the entire curve of the shoe causing the light to flirt with the appearance of the colours, causing moments of blackness alternated with flickers of jewel-tones.

Far from being just ‘a pair of shoes’, these creations are testament to McQueen’s trademark insistence on taking risks and pushing the boundaries of contemporary fashion. Conceptually and artistically, McQueen will remain head, shoulders, and that extra 10 inches above his rivals for the foreseeable fashion future.