McQueen on his own terms, Savage Beauty

“There’s blood beneath every layer of skin.” -  Alexander McQueen.

The work of Alexander McQueen is the subject of the exhibition Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York until the 31st July. It's an unique opportunity to experience up close his geniuses mind, exposed, in his own terms. An artist sometimes misunderstood and many misinterpreted. Learn more at blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen

“My friend George and I were walking on the beach in Norfolk, and there were thousands of [razor-clam] shells. They were so beautiful, I thought I had to do something with them. So, we decided to make [a dress] out of them. . . . The shells had outlived their usefulness on the beach, so we put them to another use on a dress. Then Erin [O’Conner] came out and trashed the dress, so their usefulness was over once again. Kind of like fashion, really.” - Alexander McQueen.

“[This] collection is . . . romantic but melancholic and austere at the same time. It was gentle but you could still feel the bite of cold, the nip of the ice on the end of your nose. . . . With bustles and nipped waists, I was interested in the idea that there are no constraints on the silhouette. I wanted to exaggerate a woman’s form, almost along the lines of a classical statue.”- Alexander McQueen.

“Working in the atelier [at Givenchy] was fundamental to my career . . . Because I was a tailor, I didn’t totally understand softness, or lightness. I learned lightness at Givenchy. I was a tailor at Savile Row. At Givenchy I learned to soften. For me, it was an education. As a designer I could have left it behind. But working at Givenchy helped me learn my craft.”- Alexander McQueen

“I have always loved the mechanics of nature and to a greater or lesser extent my work is always informed by that.” - Alexander McQueen.

“Remember Sam Taylor-Wood’s dying fruit? Things rot. . . . I used flowers because they die. My mood was darkly romantic at the time.” - Alexander McQueen.