Alexander - You Will Be Missed

Well readers, this is not a good day. The fashion world is reeling. Just days before Fashion Week in London is scheduled to begin comes the most shocking news imaginable.

I was stunned to learn of the untimely death of Alexander McQueen. Whether you were a fan of his unrestrained style or not, you have to admit that he knew how to put on a show. I will never forget the one Alexander McQueen show I was fortunate enough to see.

I know all of you who know me and my taste are wondering why I would attend an Alexander McQueen runway show. Well it was Paris and it was Fashion Week and it was McQueen. I spent days trying to figure out how to get the producers of the show to let me attend. I, the unknown American, not attached to Saks or Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's had absolutely no clout. So finally I found someone I had developed a relationship with from the Boutique Pret-A-Porter world and asked him how I could get an invitation or even buy a ticket. He looked at me, smiled, picked up his phone and I heard him say "I have someone here who wants to attend the show".

I had no idea who he called or whether he was talking to someone who could really get me in the show. As it turns out if it is your show, you can get anyone in you want. So I was treated to one of the best shows I have ever seen. No, I did not cringe as the very Elizabethan collection went down the runway. It made me want to go to the showroom and really look at the construction of the garments. I really wanted to speak with McQueen but I was told he didn't do interviews and that he wasn't into the after-show hoopla and most likely would not be there. So the show itself was my highlight and I will remember it always.

They were intricate yet elegant. They were very elaborate but wearable. They could be described as nothing short of works of art. At that moment Alexander McQueen crossed over the chasm that Christian LaCroix had crossed, for me, a few years earlier. I now understood that for them it really was about the art of fashion.

No, it was still not my style. I still did not think that it was a collection that resonated with me. However, I can respect the talent, the art the creativity. What I saw was beautiful. It simply wasn't me.

So now, as of today, the fashion world is short one more genius. There will be one less shining star lighting the way. My sincerest wish is that somehow there is a way to keep the house open and the label in production. Too many labels have been lost or are in trouble as a result of the economy. I think it would be a great tribute to keep this house and its fashion concepts going.

So, Mr. McQueen, I hope you are at peace. May you rest forever in a place of beauty and happiness and may you never be forgotten. I know I will remember you.

I have no idea whether Alexander McQueen was religious or spiritual. All I know is that every single person on this planet deserves a prayer and a blessing upon their departure so I will offer this:

Alexander McQueen, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace.

If I have offended any readers as a result of this post, my apologies. It is not my intent to offend. It is my intent to honor Alexander McQueen.

a la prochaine
Debra