Understanding the loss of McQueen: Not as easy as it seems

Alexander McQueen

Many articles have been written about Alexander McQueen since his passing on Thursday, but none of them really explore the impact of the man and his work on the fashion scene as well as Frédérique Renaut of Benjamin Kanarek's blog.

"He had it all: A perfect technique of “the cut”, the tailoring which was the foundation and basis of his work learned while on Savile Row. Yet with this classic training, he was able to take his creations much further expressed with his own tragic poetry. Some people might have complained and stated, “Give me a break they are only clothing after all…” Perhaps, but the end product was more than “Just Clothing”."

Alexander McQueen's fashions were definitely more than "just clothing". He was a true designer in the sense that he used fashion to convey a story, and respected those who attempted to do the same. After all, this is the same man that fell so hard for plus sized icon Beth Ditto that he "creat[ed] a number of designs for Ditto" and has had her attend his fashion shows.


Beth Ditto in Alexander McQueen

This was a man who was not afraid to be inclusive even though it did not distill down to consumers exactly - he was still one of those rare designers willing to design for a plus sized woman. So, for that in addition to his amazing talent he will most definitely be missed.

If interested in reading the rest of Frédérique Renaut thoughts on McQueen check out his posting: God did not save McQueen! It has youtube videos, a breakdown of some of his work, and some interesting trivia about McQueen as well.