You know when you build something up so much in your head that reality will never live up to it? Well, I’m a professional at this, so when I got the chance to go see the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A I decided to keep my expectations minimal and enter with an open mind.
The exhibition is broken up into different periods of his work, more generally themes, the first of which was a gothic inspired collection, which was not my cup of tea.
However, I thought it was ironic that he felt inspired by the London because most of the collection was done completely in black and that’s probably one of the things I like least about moving here. It’s okay to wear bright colours, people!
‘London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.’ —Alexander McQueen
While I couldn’t get behind the all black ensembles and don’t know enough about the history of fashion to appreciate his ground break attitude, I could appreciate a few more “contemporary” collections. And I don’t say contemporary because it’s something you would necessary want to wear now but the spirit of the collection is something I’ve seen a lot more of lately.
He drew inspiration from bright corals, African tribes and the Japanese kimono. All of which I found some connection to the various different fashion bloggers flooding Instagram. But what really stuck out to me the most throughout this whole wandering through was the amount of strange materials. I saw things from hair to glass beads to wire and ostrich feathers. Not exactly your run of the mill materials, but yet they worked.
‘It was about trying to trap something that wasn’t conventionally beautiful to show that beauty comes from within.’ —Alexander McQueen
That’s what I loved most about the exhibition was that it was strange, random and at times overwhelming but at the end of the day when you look back you realise it all worked. There’s a fluidity in McQueen’s style that’s presented in a deeply thought provoking way. There is nothing ordinary or simple about his designs and there is nothing simple about the way his exhibition was shown.
Through it all, there was one room that stopped me in my tracks. A room filled with bright reds, crisp whites and a touch a black all covered in Swarovski crystals. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Swarovski crystals in one room before, let alone adored on dresses, shoes, headpieces you name it. According to the V&A website, McQueen and Swarovski have a long history together and have been collaborators on multiple collections and was actually the framework of Swarovski’s tradition of collaboration with haute couture.
This exhibition isn’t for everyone but if you’re sitting on the fence, take the jump and give it a chance. It will leave you wondering what you’ve seen and question what you knew not only about fashion but how you perceive the world around you. Inspiration truly does come from anything and everything.
‘You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition.’ —Alexander McQueen
Read this post and other stories on Staci’s personal blog
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