It’s been just over four years since legendary British designer Alexander McQueen’s death. Suffering from anxiety and depressive disorder, things finally came to a head when McQueen’s mother passed away. A few days later, the troubled fashion designer committed suicide.
Alexander McQueen was only 40 years old. Yet in his brief time, he was a powerful force to be reckoned with in the fashion world. His style is best described as raw, dramatic and organic. In honour of McQueen’s incredible work, we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic dresses that he designed. A tribute to one of the most unique fashion designers of our time.
#1 The Oyster Dress
Made up of hundreds of layers of silk organza (a thin sheer fabric), the ridging on the dress was designed to resemble the surface of a shell. The hem of the skirt has a wavy lip, resembling that of an oyster – hence its name.
Source: blog.metmuseum.org
#2 The VOSS Dress
“There’s blood beneath every layer of skin.” – Alexander McQueen
Those words help explain what influenced McQueen in this design. The bottom of the dress is made of ostrich feathers that are dyed red, and the shiny sequin tiles at the top end are actually microscope slides, painted red to symbolize the blood underneath.
Source: blog.metmuseum.org
#3 The Sarabande Dress
An absolutely stunning creation, pictures truly don’t do this dress justice. McQueen himself stated he was in a darkly romantic place at the time. The usage of both fresh and dead flowers represents the duality of life and death.
Source: fernandoirigoyen.com
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