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Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designer’s career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde installation and performance art.Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty celebrates the astounding creativity and originality of a designer who relentlessly questioned and confronted the requisites of fashion.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
January 7, 2013
I know basically nothing about fashion. I do know, though, that this book pulls off something kind of extraordinary: convincing me not only that McQueen deserved a posthumous retrospective at the Met (I was never much in doubt on that score) but also that McQueen was as pure and complete an artist as ever lived. He's Miles Davis. He's Van Gogh. McQueen was everything an artist should be: endlessly innovative, aware of the past and concerned for the future, literate, tireless, deeply invested in the act of making with one's hands. His work is personal, born out of his own passions, sexuality, nationality, tragedy. It transcends fashion. You could give this book to young writers in lieu of Letters to a Young Poet.
March 31, 2012
Of course you should see the Savage Beauty installation at the Met before you even glance at this book....It's a multi-sensory experience. Dark. Deep. Industrial. Colourful. Tailored. Baroque. Broken. Bumstered. Political. Poetical. Magical. Feathered. And eerie, windswept sounds come at you around every corner. The mannequins are masked and faceless and in that sense, they are everyone and also...no one. In the book...well...humans become surreal. The installation is an extravaganza of theatre, avant-garde art, fashion, music, film....drama...
And Alexander McQueen.. well...he was a Pisces...Martian meets Surrealist meets Tailor meets Romantic.
Hey it's late, and these are ramblings about a tragic genius.
And Alexander McQueen.. well...he was a Pisces...Martian meets Surrealist meets Tailor meets Romantic.
Hey it's late, and these are ramblings about a tragic genius.
December 31, 2015
I first borrowed this book from the library.
Then I returned it, went on Bookdepository, and bought a copy. And waited in bated anticipation.
A spectacular "coffee-table" book, if you will. If you are more deeply into fashion and happen to love McQueen like I do, this is an incredible glossary and reference book to aid in your own projects. I love the detail and attention paid to this one, and the cover just takes my breath away! It is sturdy, feels raw and expensive, and of a fantastic size to extricate detail from (though it is also difficult to keep.) Savage Beauty really showcases McQueen at the height of his madness and brilliance, and I think this book balances research and visual appreciation well for both the average consumer and those that dabble in the arts a little more.
Then I returned it, went on Bookdepository, and bought a copy. And waited in bated anticipation.
A spectacular "coffee-table" book, if you will. If you are more deeply into fashion and happen to love McQueen like I do, this is an incredible glossary and reference book to aid in your own projects. I love the detail and attention paid to this one, and the cover just takes my breath away! It is sturdy, feels raw and expensive, and of a fantastic size to extricate detail from (though it is also difficult to keep.) Savage Beauty really showcases McQueen at the height of his madness and brilliance, and I think this book balances research and visual appreciation well for both the average consumer and those that dabble in the arts a little more.
June 19, 2022
Alexander McQueen is my favourite fashion designer, with competition from Gareth Pugh, Vivienne Westwood, and Thierry Mugler. I was lucky enough to see the Savage Beauty exhibition when it was at the V&A in London back in 2015. It's one of the best exhibitions I've ever been to and I found it absolutely beguiling. Goodreads reminded me of it by recommending the exhibition catalogue, perhaps the third good quality recommendation the algorithm has given me in nearly ten years. I was delighted to find that the library had a borrowable copy of this sumptuous hardback volume, with its eerie cover hologram. It must make a very spooky coffee table book, as the eyes follow you and manifest in the stylised skull before the rest of McQueen's face.
In addition to being a very striking object, the book records the Savage Beauty exhibition beautifully. A good preface briefly recounts Alexander McQueen's biography. At the end there is an interview with Sarah Burton, who took over the fashion house after McQueen's tragic death. I found both of these fascinating and informative. Together with images of the garments exhibited in Savage Beauty, I was powerfully reminded of why I love Alexander McQueen designs. He was an incredible tailor and his garments always have an exquisite and distinctive silhouette, usually with the waist emphasised. His influences mixed the gothic, romantic, historical, and environmental. Some of his quotes express the severe and unapproachable vibes that I want from clothing:
It's hard to find garments like that amid the high street's shapeless viscose and denim. McQueen's collections were art. As Burton says:
The Savage Beauty exhibition and catalogue are a wonderful tribute to McQueen. I also recommend Alexander McQueen: Genius of a Generation to fans of his work.
In addition to being a very striking object, the book records the Savage Beauty exhibition beautifully. A good preface briefly recounts Alexander McQueen's biography. At the end there is an interview with Sarah Burton, who took over the fashion house after McQueen's tragic death. I found both of these fascinating and informative. Together with images of the garments exhibited in Savage Beauty, I was powerfully reminded of why I love Alexander McQueen designs. He was an incredible tailor and his garments always have an exquisite and distinctive silhouette, usually with the waist emphasised. His influences mixed the gothic, romantic, historical, and environmental. Some of his quotes express the severe and unapproachable vibes that I want from clothing:
"When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there's a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off."
"It's almost like putting armour on a woman. It's a very psychological way of dressing."
It's hard to find garments like that amid the high street's shapeless viscose and denim. McQueen's collections were art. As Burton says:
...he always called himself a designer, not an artist. He was a showman more than anything. Still, when you think about how he designed, it did feel more about art. It was never, "Oh, is this comfortable?" It was all about the vision and the head-to-toe look of it. When you saw the models lining up, it was so clear and so direct. Lee was a designer who was making a world and telling a story. Sometimes it was on such a level that maybe the fashion audience wasn't the right audience to tell it to, but what audience was right? That's the problem I think he had. The stigma: is it fashion? Is it art? But if it's not making money, you can't do these amazing shows. Lee did care about the commercial side of the industry, but what most people remember are the shows.
The Savage Beauty exhibition and catalogue are a wonderful tribute to McQueen. I also recommend Alexander McQueen: Genius of a Generation to fans of his work.
May 16, 2011
Fashion as Art
Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 - 11 February 2010) was an icon in the fashion industry. He is currently the subject of a spectacular exhibition of his works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and this book serves as a catalogue for that exhibition. From the lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen ('Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles') to the layout or deign of the book itself to the extraordinary photography (by Sølve Sundsbø) this book is an art piece by itself.
McQueen drew notice with his fashions that made femininity collide with masculinity, gowns and dresses that created a continuing dichotomy between life and death, lightness and darkness, predator and prey, man and machine. His uses of fabric and elements not usually considered wearable resulted in very bizarre and at the same time hauntingly beautiful creations that, placed on mannequins, could be considered sculptures. And that is how the exhibition and the catalogue are constructed. 'The Romantic Mind' shows soft fashion lines against a concrete backdrop, 'The Romantic Gothic' recalls a term McQueen used for his designs - 'the Edgar Allen Poe of fashion', 'Romantic Nationalism' is a display of the Scottish versus the British mindset transformed into clothing, and the Objects gallery reveals strange objects of many types that explain how he viewed the world.
There is a fine Preface written by Andrew Bolton who curated the exhibition, an Introduction by Susannah Frankel, an interview by Tim Banks with the now almost equally famous Sarah Burton (designer of Kate's Middleton's Royal wedding gown). 'The exhibition, organized by The Costume Institute, celebrates the late Alexander McQueen's extraordinary contributions to fashion. From his Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection of 1992 to his final runway presentation, which took place after his death in February 2010, Mr. McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. His iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. The exhibition features approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from Mr. McQueen's prolific nineteen-year career. Drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London, with some pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris as well as private collections, signature designs including the "bumster" trouser, the kimono jacket, and the three-point "origami" frock coat will be on view. McQueen's fashions often referenced the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s, but his technical ingenuity always imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at the vanguard.'
This is a fine tribute to a fashion designer and conceptual artist who died far too young but whose contributions to contemporary fashion and art will live on. This book is likely to become a collector's item, so handsomely designed and present as it is.
Grady Harp
Alexander McQueen (17 March 1969 - 11 February 2010) was an icon in the fashion industry. He is currently the subject of a spectacular exhibition of his works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and this book serves as a catalogue for that exhibition. From the lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen ('Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles') to the layout or deign of the book itself to the extraordinary photography (by Sølve Sundsbø) this book is an art piece by itself.
McQueen drew notice with his fashions that made femininity collide with masculinity, gowns and dresses that created a continuing dichotomy between life and death, lightness and darkness, predator and prey, man and machine. His uses of fabric and elements not usually considered wearable resulted in very bizarre and at the same time hauntingly beautiful creations that, placed on mannequins, could be considered sculptures. And that is how the exhibition and the catalogue are constructed. 'The Romantic Mind' shows soft fashion lines against a concrete backdrop, 'The Romantic Gothic' recalls a term McQueen used for his designs - 'the Edgar Allen Poe of fashion', 'Romantic Nationalism' is a display of the Scottish versus the British mindset transformed into clothing, and the Objects gallery reveals strange objects of many types that explain how he viewed the world.
There is a fine Preface written by Andrew Bolton who curated the exhibition, an Introduction by Susannah Frankel, an interview by Tim Banks with the now almost equally famous Sarah Burton (designer of Kate's Middleton's Royal wedding gown). 'The exhibition, organized by The Costume Institute, celebrates the late Alexander McQueen's extraordinary contributions to fashion. From his Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection of 1992 to his final runway presentation, which took place after his death in February 2010, Mr. McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. His iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. The exhibition features approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from Mr. McQueen's prolific nineteen-year career. Drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London, with some pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris as well as private collections, signature designs including the "bumster" trouser, the kimono jacket, and the three-point "origami" frock coat will be on view. McQueen's fashions often referenced the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s, but his technical ingenuity always imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at the vanguard.'
This is a fine tribute to a fashion designer and conceptual artist who died far too young but whose contributions to contemporary fashion and art will live on. This book is likely to become a collector's item, so handsomely designed and present as it is.
Grady Harp
April 27, 2021
First saw this book when it came through the library as a reserve going to someone else. Thought it looked really weird. Then I read review in Time and decided to check it out myself. While I will never, ever understand 'artist' speak, I did look at the pictures and A McQ's designs, and had a better appreciation for what he did. If you get past some of the outrageousness, and the double-talk behind it, you get to understand why his designs can be considered as art. Some are breath-taking. Some are just odd.
March 6, 2021
Gorgeous. Not a lot of insight in to the individual, but enough info to keep me intrigued with his work. Photography is beautiful. This is a great book for any coffee table.
May 29, 2020
Who knew it would take a pandemic for me to rediscover Alexander McQueen's genius? Back when the world was normal, I would probably have been fine with this book taking up permanent residence on my coffee table, but I'm finding that McQueen's tortured and dark outlook on the world is more relevant than ever. This time around, I took the time to read the prologue, which is key if you're at all interested in learning about the myriad historical, nature, and art world references—all interests of McQueen's—that went into these collections. McQueen was an iconoclast who used fashion as a means to communicate his artistic sensibilities and he delighted in controversy as a way to conjure emotion from viewers. He was also a visionary; in 2010's Plato's Atlantis he predicted “the ice cap would melt...the waters would rise and...life on earth would have to evolve in order to live beneath the sea once more or perish.” The clothes in this collection are visually stunning and completely bizarre and unlike anything I've seen before—8-inch heels that appear to be carved out of bone, a kaleidoscope of abstracted snake print, and a painstakingly detailed iridescent scaled bodysuit, complete with alien, hoof-shaped shoes. He was the Lady Gaga of the '90s. Despite his untimely death, McQueen's rebellious spirit and revolutionary way of thinking will hopefully inspire the next generation of great designers.
December 29, 2023
I got this exhibit catalog for Christmas, although I never got to go to the exhibit itself, which was more than a decade ago at the Met in NYC. The fact that this catalog is still being published alone should speak to the beauty of the book itself and its contents. McQueen was always my favorite designer, back in the days I got Vogue, and the incredible photos in this book show why. McQueen was controversial and even challenging (sounds like both professionally and personally at times), but he was undoubtedly a genius. I've recently rediscovered my love of fashion, and he remains the pinnacle to me. I put this on my shelf next to the Rjiksmuseum's exhibit catalog for their blockbuster Vermeer exhibit, which was literally one of the best experiences of my life to see. So that tells you how much I adore this book's display of McQueen's work.
December 19, 2022
Este libro es el complemento perfecto al documental “McQueen” del 2018. Este libro incluye citas de Alexander, entrevistas con sus amigos y colabores más cercanos, así como fotografías de la muestra extraordinaria que realizó el Metropolitan Museum of Art de Nueva York en el 2011, realizada a un año de la muerte del diseñador, que incluyó 66 piezas de sus mejores vestidos, así como algunos diseños de sus primeras colecciones. Alexander fue un genio de la moda y creatividad, su imagen de enfant terrible y estilo romántico gótico lo convirtió en el favorito de grandes artistas de la talla de Lady Gaga, así como de figuras respetadas de la alta costura como Tom Ford o Anna Wintour. Tomó las riendas de la casa Givenchy cuando sustituyó a John Galliano y su fama se disparó con sus pasarelas tan intensas, teatrales e innovadoras, totalmente avant-garde para la época. El libro muestra los mejores atuendos de sus colecciones como: Jack stalks his victims (1994), Highland Rape (1995), Dante (1996), It’s a Jungle out there (1997), Joan (1998), No.13 (1999), Voss (2001), Horn of Plenty (2009) y Plato’s Atlantis (2010). Una belleza de libro y digno de cualquier biblioteca personal respetable.
November 5, 2015
The installation curated by Andrew Bolton at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is absolutely wonderful, astonishing, extraordinary! I would give this book five stars if it contained photographs from the actual installation -- raw concrete stages, aged mirrors, Cabinet of Curiosities room, etc. This 8.5 minute video will give you a good overview of the "experience": http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermc...
I took advantage of the extra hour to see the exhibit at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, and skip the queue which was two hours long when I came out at 10:00 a.m.! (That doesn't include the queue to get into the museum..). Six hours after and still processing, I summed up for friends: Burton, Bosch, Braveheart, beads, bones, birds, brutal, beautiful.. Bravo!
I do not follow fashion closely by any stretch of the imagination, but found Alexander McQueen's craftsmanship breathtaking and his complex ideas expressed about Nature, culture, politics, gender, sexuality and beauty really fascinating.
If you are in/near NYC and can catch it before August 7th, I recommend the "Savage Beauty" exhibit highly. In the last week the museum will extend its normal hours for the exhibit to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday the 4th and Friday; Saturday and Sunday it will stay open until MIDNIGHT! Being able to skip the queue and enjoy an extra hour before the museum opened was worth every tax-deductible dollar of membership. Just saying..
I took advantage of the extra hour to see the exhibit at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, and skip the queue which was two hours long when I came out at 10:00 a.m.! (That doesn't include the queue to get into the museum..). Six hours after and still processing, I summed up for friends: Burton, Bosch, Braveheart, beads, bones, birds, brutal, beautiful.. Bravo!
I do not follow fashion closely by any stretch of the imagination, but found Alexander McQueen's craftsmanship breathtaking and his complex ideas expressed about Nature, culture, politics, gender, sexuality and beauty really fascinating.
If you are in/near NYC and can catch it before August 7th, I recommend the "Savage Beauty" exhibit highly. In the last week the museum will extend its normal hours for the exhibit to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday the 4th and Friday; Saturday and Sunday it will stay open until MIDNIGHT! Being able to skip the queue and enjoy an extra hour before the museum opened was worth every tax-deductible dollar of membership. Just saying..
Read
November 24, 2014Mcqueen on "Highland Rape":
It's all about the way I'm feeling about my life. Scotland for me is a harsh, cold and bitter place. It was even worse when my great, great grandfather used to live there. I have no respect for what the English did there, they wiped whole families out. The reason I'm patriotic about Scotland is because I think it's been dealt a really hard hand. It's marketed the world over as… fucking haggis, fucking bagpipes. But no one ever puts anything back into it. I hate it when people romanticize Scotland. There's nothing romantic about it's history.
Mcqueen on "Deliverance" partly inspired by Sidney Pollack movie "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?":
More people can understand the dress if it's tarnished and distressed. If you walked out in the first dress you'd be setting yourself apart form everyone but if you wore the second one people would be able to accept you. I find that untouchable Hollywood glamour alienating. It has no relevance to the way I live my life. Remember where you came from. The second dress is beautiful in a different and more authentic way.
Mcqueen the Romantic Mind:
You've got the know the rules to break them. That's what I'm here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition.
February 25, 2012
Companion edition to the McQueen exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The majority of the content here is photographs of exhibition pieces, posed on mannequins, shown context-free save for occasional quotes from the designer. There are also some sets of smaller photographs that are live action shots from various runway presentations. It was tempting to jump right in and just look at the pictures, but I'm glad I read the preface and introduction first - they were crucial for background and context on McQueen's life and work. The interview with Sarah Burton at the end is also an interesting read.
I found it to be pretty fascinating stuff - it is kind of amazing the reactions that some of the pictures can evoke.
My only real complaint - selfish - is that I wished there were more dresses photographed.
I found it to be pretty fascinating stuff - it is kind of amazing the reactions that some of the pictures can evoke.
My only real complaint - selfish - is that I wished there were more dresses photographed.
March 30, 2019
A visually beautiful tapestry of art that is an expression of Alexander McQueen’s growth from a working class family to creating high couture for the upper echelons of global society. His art is not without darkness, and it was his tormented dichotomy and internal struggle that arguably made for his best work (his romantic gothic work in Autumn/Winter 2010-11 season, or ‘Highland Rape’ in autumn/winter 1995-96 season). What really struck me about his art (moving pieces on humans) was the pain he felt, transformed by sharp relief into beauty.
“I think there has to be an underlying sexuality. There has to be a perverseness to the clothes. There is a hidden agenda in the fragility of romance.”
“I think there has to be an underlying sexuality. There has to be a perverseness to the clothes. There is a hidden agenda in the fragility of romance.”
September 6, 2025
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Each illustration became my favorite- page after page of the most exquisite fashion, beautifully presented and photographed.
It was a large format book and very heavy! Found the text a little hard to read being such huge pages and such tiny print I kept losing my place (old eyes). Brief but fascinating background on McQeen's life and artistic vision. Really ticked off that I never got to see this exhibition.
It was a large format book and very heavy! Found the text a little hard to read being such huge pages and such tiny print I kept losing my place (old eyes). Brief but fascinating background on McQeen's life and artistic vision. Really ticked off that I never got to see this exhibition.
February 16, 2024
there’s a reason why alexander mcqueen is my favorite designer.
April 27, 2019
Any book that inspires me to explore my own creativity, leads me to topics that I would like to know more about and that I am still thinking about after reading the last page, gets a five star rating.
This book is primarily an exhibition catalogue assembled for McQueen's show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art based on his show "Savage Beauty." The book is visually stunning, with full page photographs of individual pieces that permits you to study the exquisite detail of each garment and accessory up close.
McQueen, arguably more of a performance artist than even a fashion designer, used every influence, everything he learned, to form his art in his unique interpretational way. Each idea was personalized using world history and his imagination. His incredible attention to tailoring, learned on Saville Row during an apprenticeship at the tailor shop used by the Monarchy, is staggering. He could cut a pattern from a vision in his head in 3 minutes!!!
After his tailoring apprenticeship, he went on to learn exact military tailoring and then the detailed art of the Japanese kimono.
He was intensely cerebral. If you do not know the back story for each collection, you are missing most of the pleasure of understanding his take on the subject, and judging it solely for its appearance.
McQueen built his collections on the philosophy of art - the sublime. The goal of the sublime is to get the viewer to experience the most profound emotion possible. Shock value is very important. Explains a lot already, doesn't it? He was always true to himself, carrying his vision to its completion - very quickly - because new and fresh ideas were constantly coming into his head. It was hard for him to keep up with all of his ideas.
Some of his ideas that inspired his collections:
Romanticism and Naturalism
Romantic Gothic
Arts and Crafts movement
Man vs Machine
Craft vs Technology
The 19th Century Highland Clearances
Good vs Evil/Heaven vs Hell
I am only briefly touching on SOME of the topics embraced by McQueen that sent me down the rabbit hole. I'm sure if you decide to read this book, these and more will inspire you.
This book is primarily an exhibition catalogue assembled for McQueen's show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art based on his show "Savage Beauty." The book is visually stunning, with full page photographs of individual pieces that permits you to study the exquisite detail of each garment and accessory up close.
McQueen, arguably more of a performance artist than even a fashion designer, used every influence, everything he learned, to form his art in his unique interpretational way. Each idea was personalized using world history and his imagination. His incredible attention to tailoring, learned on Saville Row during an apprenticeship at the tailor shop used by the Monarchy, is staggering. He could cut a pattern from a vision in his head in 3 minutes!!!
After his tailoring apprenticeship, he went on to learn exact military tailoring and then the detailed art of the Japanese kimono.
He was intensely cerebral. If you do not know the back story for each collection, you are missing most of the pleasure of understanding his take on the subject, and judging it solely for its appearance.
McQueen built his collections on the philosophy of art - the sublime. The goal of the sublime is to get the viewer to experience the most profound emotion possible. Shock value is very important. Explains a lot already, doesn't it? He was always true to himself, carrying his vision to its completion - very quickly - because new and fresh ideas were constantly coming into his head. It was hard for him to keep up with all of his ideas.
Some of his ideas that inspired his collections:
Romanticism and Naturalism
Romantic Gothic
Arts and Crafts movement
Man vs Machine
Craft vs Technology
The 19th Century Highland Clearances
Good vs Evil/Heaven vs Hell
I am only briefly touching on SOME of the topics embraced by McQueen that sent me down the rabbit hole. I'm sure if you decide to read this book, these and more will inspire you.
August 4, 2018
My collections have always been autobiographical, […].This book is incredibly stunning. Amazed by how intuitively precise McQueen was with his work, I find the stills in this book even more breath-taking. It was a similar awing experience to glimpse one of his designs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue, several days ago.
I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress.His designs were all about the curves and angles of the fabric on a woman’s body, front frills and flaps, and everything he did was multi-dimensional: vividly 3D with deep stories and intense feelings lurking. In Highland Rape (1995), the story was about England’s rape of Scotland, which was controversial and somewhat disturbing to look at. His works were satirical, purely terrifying and beautiful. They gave me chills and radiated intimidating aura throughout different collections. Also, I suspect more loudness in his collections when he approached the end of his life.
We’re not talking about models’ personal feelings here, we’re talking about mine. It’s all about the way I’m feeling about my life.McQueen was a man of absolute certainty in both fashion and way of life. To him, there were no grey areas, so his sense of beauty and ideology were exactly that.
October 2, 2020
If you weren’t lucky enough to experience ‘Savage Beauty’, the exhibition, firsthand, you can still indulge in the visionary delight of the late designer Alexander McQueen’s work in this stunning hardback.
Published to coincide with the exhibition the title opens with a preface from Andrew Bolton, curator of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an introduction by Susannah Frankel, Fashion Editor with The Independent newspaper and friend of McQueen. After this, the book is divided into sections such as ‘The Romantic Mind’, ‘Romantic Primitivism’ and ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, mirroring the layout of the exhibition.
Each section includes striking full-page images of his work — jackets, dresses, wraps, coats, jumpsuits, and trousers along with more atmospheric ensembles — and accompanied by quotes from McQueen. Materials used include animal bones, shells, and feathers, “[...] a play on animal and man. They are both gross and very much the same.”
Careful editing means the result offers a powerful insight into the darker side of the designer’s mind. Also included is a pretty personal interview with Sarah Burton, current Creative Director of Alexander McQueen and the lady behind Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, about the design process, McQueen’s influences and what it was like to work with a creative powerhouse.
Published to coincide with the exhibition the title opens with a preface from Andrew Bolton, curator of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an introduction by Susannah Frankel, Fashion Editor with The Independent newspaper and friend of McQueen. After this, the book is divided into sections such as ‘The Romantic Mind’, ‘Romantic Primitivism’ and ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, mirroring the layout of the exhibition.
Each section includes striking full-page images of his work — jackets, dresses, wraps, coats, jumpsuits, and trousers along with more atmospheric ensembles — and accompanied by quotes from McQueen. Materials used include animal bones, shells, and feathers, “[...] a play on animal and man. They are both gross and very much the same.”
Careful editing means the result offers a powerful insight into the darker side of the designer’s mind. Also included is a pretty personal interview with Sarah Burton, current Creative Director of Alexander McQueen and the lady behind Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, about the design process, McQueen’s influences and what it was like to work with a creative powerhouse.
June 3, 2021
McQueen is a genius. I don’t often use that term to describe artists of any kind, but I really believe he is. (I say is although he has passed away). I first saw mcqueens work in a documentary about the met gala, and I was immediately struck with how much I gravitated toward his work. His inspirations, gothic romance, particularly Victorian gothic, English snd Scottish heritage, romanticism, naturalism, female sexuality as a weapon, are all things that are inspirational to my own art and self. I have recently come upon of piece of his of my own (commercial, but still lovely), and it made me more inspired to dig into his work. It is such a shame that like many a tortured genius, his mental illness was too much to bear. Who knows what he could have created today.
May 1, 2021
This book is perfect.
Alexander McQueen - when someone pushes themselves to their maximum potential, they produce great things. I just wonder what the cost was. Yes, he killed himself, but what actually contributed to his suicide, and if it was the pressures of his very high pressured responsibility, was it worth it? He produced perfect work. I'm not saying At what cost? because I don't know his circumstances, and maybe the stress of his empire wasn't what drove him to suicide.
No matter how I try to express my concern over the mystification of the tragic genius, the only way to end this is to say, What a shame. We we given so much, but we didn't get to see everything.
Alexander McQueen - when someone pushes themselves to their maximum potential, they produce great things. I just wonder what the cost was. Yes, he killed himself, but what actually contributed to his suicide, and if it was the pressures of his very high pressured responsibility, was it worth it? He produced perfect work. I'm not saying At what cost? because I don't know his circumstances, and maybe the stress of his empire wasn't what drove him to suicide.
No matter how I try to express my concern over the mystification of the tragic genius, the only way to end this is to say, What a shame. We we given so much, but we didn't get to see everything.
December 21, 2023
I didn’t know anything about McQueen really apart from a few iconic collections
He grew up in East London so found that part and his life living on cadogan terrace fascinating. His local haunts, older soho, places he went out, saw friends, people he mixed with, his inspiration & creative process - all very interesting
Shame there weren’t direct photos with collection descriptions
Felt like he was a pained, closed character, I wonder what it would have been like to meet him. Probably would have hated how life has turned into a social media glamour broadcast. Like to think he would have kept the rawness and realism of fashion in check
He grew up in East London so found that part and his life living on cadogan terrace fascinating. His local haunts, older soho, places he went out, saw friends, people he mixed with, his inspiration & creative process - all very interesting
Shame there weren’t direct photos with collection descriptions
Felt like he was a pained, closed character, I wonder what it would have been like to meet him. Probably would have hated how life has turned into a social media glamour broadcast. Like to think he would have kept the rawness and realism of fashion in check
June 21, 2024
This is not the kind of book I would usually read or buy. I appreciate art, but I have a fairly non-existent interest in fashion. However, a quick flick through this book interested me enough to look it up on Amazon and order a copy. McQueen has left behind some stunning work and this collection illustrates the designer's imagination and creativity wonderfully. So many times I was looking at a piece and I'd gasp at the sheer gorgeousness of a design. I won't deny it, I stroked a few pages and ogled a whole lot more. It was over the cut of a piece, the choices of colour, the attention to detail or just the bloody brilliant inventiveness. Utterly beautiful.
November 6, 2020
Both whimsical and dark, baroque and contemporary, sensual and innocent, human and well... something quite unlike that, Mcqueens work is a amazing piece of fashion history. This book was a amazing collection of all his works, from his graduation line "Jack the Ripper Stalks his Victims" to the famous paint dress "13" to his mental asylum collection "VOSS" to his iconic holographic look "Windows of Culloden" to his last collection "Plato's Atlantis"
November 18, 2020
My flatmate is a costume designer for the Royal Opera House so now I have all these fantastic fashion coffee books in my flat that I’ve always wanted to get my hands on - and Savage Beauty has long been on the top of that list.
This one’s truly a marvel of a book that does its subject matter and his craft justice. Going through each page was like seeing the Plato’s Atlantis collection for the very first time again and again.
This one’s truly a marvel of a book that does its subject matter and his craft justice. Going through each page was like seeing the Plato’s Atlantis collection for the very first time again and again.
October 30, 2022
Can we first off just praise the cover I mean unique, which is a way of describing the designer as well. The book gave a nice and straight forward way of getting to know the designer, his craft and his history. Doesn’t go super in depth but what we’re really here for are the designs. To put it simply it’s very artistic and intentional which I love not to mention innovative. This book is nice to have lying around for visual candy.
November 12, 2023
Magnifique ouvrage dédié à l'exposition "Savage Beauty" sur le travail d'Alexander McQueen qui a eu lieu au Met et au Victoria and Albert museum.
Un des meilleurs designers de notre époque.
Dommage que les mannequins en bois utilisés n'étaient pas à la hauteur des créations de McQueen.
Bonsoir.
Un des meilleurs designers de notre époque.
Dommage que les mannequins en bois utilisés n'étaient pas à la hauteur des créations de McQueen.
Bonsoir.
June 4, 2018
Gorgeous book, the photographs are so beautiful. The quotes and features are so insightful and really bring home a whole picture of what McQueen was like. I'm so glad I got this, it's a fantastic coffee table book and something that will doubtless fascinate any guest with the holographic cover.
August 2, 2018
To quote from the introduction of the book itself, "The latest in a long line of male homosexual designers who exploit women while pandering to their own fantasies."
That about sums it up. You would have to view women as objects to want to make them wear many of the things in this book.
That about sums it up. You would have to view women as objects to want to make them wear many of the things in this book.
May 25, 2019
I loved the museum exhibit so I wanted to read this. There are some beautiful photos of his work, but not much to read about McQueens life. I wish there were multiple volumes showing more of his work and revealing more of his personal life.
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