Savage Beauty

This spring the V&A will present the only major retrospective in Europe of the work of the visionary fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen. One of the most innovative designers of his generation, McQueen was celebrated for his extraordinary creative talent. He combined a profound grasp of tailoring and eclectic range of influences with a relentless pursuit to challenge the boundaries of art and fashion, blending the latest technology with traditional craftsmanship. A.McQueen fulfilled his fantasy creations and he brought them to us, to be amazed of – to realise that fairy tails and mythology actually exists.

Gainsbury and Whiting, the production company that collaborated with Alexander McQueen in staging his catwalk shows are working with the V&A on the exhibition. Each section will capture the essence of the provocative, dramatic and extravagant catwalk presentations that McQueen became renowned for, combining storytelling, theatrical performance, music and film.
Another key moment of the exhibition that has been expanded at the V&A is the Cabinet of Curiosities, which will showcase designs produced by McQueen in collaboration with fellow creatives such as the jeweller Shaun Leane and milliner Philip Treacy.

In total, the exhibition will showcase more than 200 ensembles and accessories, the largest number of individual pieces designed by McQueen and collaborators ever seen together. They range from McQueen’s Central Saint Martins’ postgraduate collection of 1992 to his final designs for A/W 2010, completed after his death, and are drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen archive in London.

The V&A’s presentation of the exhibition is being made possible with the cooperation of Alexander McQueen and will be in partnership with Swarovski, and supported by American Express.

“I came to terms with not fitting in a long time ago. I never really fitted in. I don’t want to fit in. And now people are buying into that.”
Lee Alexander McQueen

.Cent team is more than proud to write a peace about Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.

Title: Dress of dyed ostrich feathers and hand-painted microscopic slides
Artist: Alexander McQueen
Date: Voss, S/S 2001
Credit line: Model: Erin O’Connor, Image: REX

Title: Duck feather dress
Artist: Alexander McQueen
Date: The Horn of Plenty, A/W 2009-10
Credit line: Model: Magdalena Frackowiak, Image: firstVIEW

Title: Tulle and lace dress with veil and antlers
Artist: Alexander McQueen
Date: Widows of Culloden, A/W 2006–07
Credit line: Model: Raquel Zimmerman, VIVA London, Image: firstVIEW

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, in partnership with Swarovski, supported by American Express and made possible with the co-operation of Alexander McQueen, runs from 14 March – 19 July 2015. vam.ac.uk/savagebeauty