ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – SAVAGE BEAUTY 

Exhibition held from the 14th March – 2nd August

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Exhibition at the V&A Museum, London. Display of garments from McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2001 collection ‘What a Merry Go Round’. Exhibited from the 14th of March – 2nd of August 2015.

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Exhibition at the V&A Museum, London. Display room called ‘Box of Curiosities’ exhibiting many various works by McQueen. Exhibited from the 14th of March – 2nd of August 2015.

Before attending the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A Museum I was not expecting much beyond a typical exhibition consisting of a display of work in one room however, I was surprised to find it was much larger than I had anticipated as it was not a permanent exhibition. Aside from that I didn’t think much about the exhibition before attending, because I was studying a history A-Level at the time and I wanted to visit historical exhibitions. However, after visiting the McQueen exhibition I was taken back when I learnt how much history was used to influence and inform McQueen’s Highland rape and Banshee collections. This gave me direction because I liked textiles and was interested in history, but sometimes found it a difficult and dry subject however, in a fashion context I was hooked.

I was also interested in the craftsmanship of the garments and the inspiration however, this was heightened after the exhibition after the experience had sunk in. At the time I bought the book (Alexander McQueen, edited by Claire Wilcox) (Wilcox being the curator of the exhibitions curator) because I was very impressed with the exhibition. Although, now I understand how special it really was, from the techniques and materials used in the garments, to the display and atmosphere of each section. Now I look at the garments in Photographs and think oh my god I was standing right next to that once, how amazing was that.

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Exhibition at the V&A Museum, London. Display of garments from McQueen’s Autumn/Winter 2010 Collection ‘Angels and Demons’, McQueen’s final collection. Exhibited from the 14th of March – 2nd of August 2015.

After reading a review on the exhibition by journalist and fashion critic Suzy Menkes, who applauded the sensory enjoyment experienced in the exhibition, I agreed with what she said about key aspects of McQueen’s career being left out of the exhibition although, they featured in the exhibition’s book, such as McQueen’s time at Savile Row, Givenchy, etc. Moreover, the captions written across the walls at floor level was difficult to read because crowds of people would be in the way. However, overall Menkes and I share the same opinion that this exhibition is a must see however, if you are a ridged follower of fashion it is probably a good idea to by the book as well as it contains all of the answers to any questions you have.

Bibliography

British Vogue (2015) Suzy Menks: Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Review. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/suzy-menkes-on-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty [last accessed 12/10/2017]