Little Book of Alexander McQueen: The story of the iconic brand

by Karen Homer

"Give me time and I'll give you a revolution" – Alexander McQueen Ever since its creation in 1992, the House of Alexander McQueen has been synonymous with drama, risk-taking and cutting-edge innovation. From iconic collaborations, like with Lady Gaga for her "Bad Romance" music video, to shockingly controversial runway shows like The Horn of Plenty, Alexander McQueen was beloved for his fantastical silhouettes and blurring of gender lines. This exquisitely illustrated volume explores the story behind the House, from McQueen's own early days to the current leadership of Sarah Burton. Through a carefully curated collection of finished designs, close-up details and sketches, this book pulls back the veil on the wonderful world of McQueen.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Art, History

160 pages, Hardcover

Published June 27, 2023

About the author

Karen Homer is a renowned fashion journalist and bestselling author of The Little Book of Dior and Things a Woman Should Know About Style. She has written for The Times, Telegraph, Vogue, Elle, and lives in London.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok, simply because of the pictures…I’ll never tire of looking at McQueen pictures. However the text is full of errors. Don’t count on it being a good source of information. For example, right out of the gate, on page 6 (the start of the introduction) the model they say is pictured is not the correct model in the picture…it is not Karen Elson. And they get timelines incorrect as well. It’s a bit all over the place. It was a slow read for me because of the errors, I kept thinking “wait, that’s not right” and it was annoying. It’s disheartening to think about books being made that aren’t properly fact checked.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Alexander McQueen has always been one of my favorite designers and this little book was the perfect rundown

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been very into fashion and this book really reminded me why. I learned so much about McQueens process and the many pictures made the book even more enjoyable. My only real critiques are that I wish there were a few more photos because there are so many beautiful designs that could have better represented his legacy and some parts of the book were formatted weirdly. Overall, I liked how respectful the author was with McQueens personal life and the length of the book was perfect.

[Olena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars purely for the visuals — McQueen’s designs are true works of art, and the photography does them justice. However, the text was disappointing. I expected a deeper dive into his life, personality, and the challenges he faced, but instead got a scattered collection of random facts. After halfway through, I stopped reading the full text and focused only on the picture captions. Beautiful to look at, but not much substance beyond that.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historia kultowego domu mody. Alexander McQueen to kolejny tom genialnej serii o popularnych markach modowych. Tym razem, siadając do lektury nie wiedziałam absolutnie niczego o głównym bohaterze tego tomu. Byłam więc ogromnie ciekawa, jaka była historia Lee McQueen'a. I jak się okazuje, nie było kolorowo, a wręcz ostatnie lata projektanta były naznaczone tragedią. Autorka przybliżyła nam życie projektanta od dorastania na East Endzie, przez próby wybicia się, mimo braku środków pieniężnych, aż po lata sławy i wywoływania kontrowersji. Karen Homer przeprowadziła nas przez wszystkie kolekcje McQueen'a, a liczne zdjęcia pomogły zobrazować najpopularniejsze kreacje i momenty w historii marki. Dodatkowo, autorka przybliżyła nam najważniejszych twórców, którzy współpracowali z McQueen'em, a także jego muzy i specyficzne metody pracy z nimi. Pojawia się również rozdział o tym, kto i z jakim skutkiem przejął wizjonerskie stery w domu mody po tragicznym odejściu projektanta.
Przyznam, że uwielbiam tę serię, bo zawsze dowiaduję się masy ciekawostek i kończę lekturę bogatsza o fakty z życia i twórczości znanych projektantów. Każda z książek ma też minimalistyczny, klasyczny design i jest niewielkich rozmiarów, więc nie przytłacza czytelnika, jednocześnie zawierając w sobie całą wiedzę w pigułce. Jeśli lubicie modę i biografie znanych twórców, to zdecydowanie polecam Wam serię Historia kultowego domu mody - ja już nie mogę się doczekać kolejnych tomów!

IG: @Amanda.Says

[Santino Esposito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice afternoon read, small enough to keep in a pocket or a purse. Short book but loaded with information, photos, and quotes that provide a comprehensive image of Alexander McQueen's career. I recommend this book to anybody interested in the label or looking for insight into McQueen's mind and process behind design.

[Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty great quick guide to McQueen and his collections. I liked the idea of this so much that I bought the whole series. What can I say, I read danmei and fanfic and love fashion. I am who I am.

[chaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rápido de leer y bien organizado. Explica de forma detallada pero sencilla y sin ser demasiado pedante, todo lo básico a saber sobre Mcqueen, la elección de fotos está muy bien pero me hubiera gustado ver alguna más.

[Mia Caven · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - McQueen is undoubtedly my favourite designer of all time -- this is the only book (so far) in this collection where I didn't go 'god, thats so ugly!' -- saying that, there was again spelling errors as in the last one, which is insane to me

[María · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tormented and creative mind that left his mark in the fashion industry.

Even when heavily criticised, Alexander McQueen’s collections were always full of history and vindication. He dressed women with a main purpose in mind –to make them feel and be seen as the leaders he knew they were.

[Alessia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need to love him if you love fashion in all its contradictions

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Text Is Trash

More of a coffee table book, as the photos are great, text is unreadable due to formatting - same holds true for this whole series. Save your money.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, insightful, and image-rich. Lacks wow factor, hence four stars, but overall a good read.

[indi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just… okay better books out there on fashion and McQueen

[Ella Holzhei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty surface level, but good!

[Itsmarta_art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha faltado hablar más de sus colecciones y menos de sus colaboradores.

[Gaelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

un livre qui retrace les différentes collection et assez honnête que la période Givenchy.
il n'y a pas de passage sur sa collection "the bone Collector" sûrement en raison de la mort tragique du créateur.
Beaucoup d'informations et un ouvrage hommage assez touchant.

[cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sentimental and admirable chronicle of the legendary Lee McQueen. I admire that even though McQueen's work cannot exist without private life, Karen Homer wrote with dignity and respect the work of McQueen and his private life.