What Alexander McQueen Has to do with Reading

Yesterday was the last day of my Manhattan adventure. I’m back in Los Angeles after a LONG day of travel. I would be sad about this other than the fact that for TEN hours yesterday I was sick to my stomach and traveling. Not. a. good. mix. So when we touched down at LAX, plane swaying and bumping in the cloudy sky, I honestly didn’t care how we got to the ground… just that we got there quickly. And, more importantly, that I go to my bed. Pronto. I’m pretty sure this was the universe giving me the crappy gift of making me happy to be returning home in the only way it knew would work. Because after my morning yesterday (and my fantastic week in New York), I was not quite ready to leave yet.

Although I also made a stop by New York’s oldest library (The Society Library), which basically made libraries happen in NY, and the delicious Alice’s Tea Cup recommended by Jacqueline, this post is to tell you mostly about my incredible experience at the Met yesterday…

To preface, I am not a fashion girl. This meaning I don’t pay much attention who’s who in fashion. I didn’t care much who would be designing Kate Middleton’s dress (or anyone else’s) just that it be pretty, and I’m one of the only women I know who would rather spend money on almost anything besides shoes (sorry, peeps, I just do not care about shoes). More often than not I’m more of a jeans, t-shirt, and pony tail girl than a dress with a fancy purse girl. And… I almost never wear high heels (gasp!). Why am I telling you this? Because you need to know this to understand where I’m coming from before blowing off my effusing obsession with and praise of the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What do I like about fashion? I might not care about the specific lines, the fabric, or the trend of a garment, but I like the story behind it. I enjoy reading about Anna Wintour and Diana Vreeland because I enjoy learning about where they’re coming from. I want to know more about Chanel and Jackie O because it fascinates me to see how they (literally) created themselves with their look. And this is where my appreciation of McQueen starts. This person who pushed all the boundaries and was unapologetically himself in the art he created.

I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the McQueen exhibit and, admittedly, at first I was a little disturbed. The first few rooms were dark. The music was eery and the sound of howling wind permeated the hall. My first thought was, “ugh, this is going to be weird.” And it was. Beautifully, hauntingly, I-want-more-of-it weird. Toddlers were frightened and mothers were pushing through the crowd to leave with their little ones, and I was entranced. Each room was entirely different, each music choice unique, and quotes by McQueen and history of his collections were written on the walls. The music during the first part of the exhibit can also be found in the following video (roughly during minutes three, four, and five). Through looking at his work you can tell he was greatly inspired by Victorian Gothic literature even before being told that Edgar Allen Poe was one of his very favorite authors, and that The Fall of the House of Usher actually influenced most of his collections. In fact, he considered himself to be the Poe of fashion. If the music during minutes three, four, and five doesn’t have you wanting to read a Bronte book… well, that just means you’ve obviously never read a Bronte book before. And don’t miss the famous hologram of Kate Moss to the Schindler’s List music around 5:30*.

(* As there are a lot of videos in this post, I have marked timestamps for each one concerning my particular favorites, so you don’t have to watch the entire video if you don’t want to. )

The Widows of Culloden (Autumn/ Winter 2006-2007)
(One of my favorite dresses in this collection is the one that comes out at 4:08.)

The Girl Who Lived in the Tree (Autumn/Winter 2008-2009)
(The very last outfit was one of my favorites of this show… it was in the exhibit.)

My absolute favorite dress reminded me of The Raven and was part of his “The Horn of Plenty” collection. For some reason, the model and song in the show don’t seem to do it justice. It was magnificent in the exhibit and the music in the dark room room was haunting.

The Horn of Plenty (Autumn/Winter 2009-2010)
(The dress that I mentioned is at 10:50.)

And, perhaps the most beautiful of his shows (in my opinion) was the second part of the Spring/Summer 2007 show “Sarabande”. It makes me want to attend a ball in 19th century England or, at least, pick up a Jane Austen novel!

Sarabande (Spring/Summer 2007)

So, what does Alexander McQueen have to do with reading? First, he was so influenced by a period of literature that you can actually feel it when you watch his shows and look at his work. Second, his work actually influences me not to create a dress, or even put one of his on (though I have to admit — I so badly want to put one of them on, while reading Bronte, and roaming the highlands of Scotland sometime in the 18th century!), but rather to delve into a good gothic novel. And you can bet that I’ve added The Fall of the House of Usher to my reading list now.

As for Lee Alexander McQueen, he died in one of the most gothic ways possible as so many tortured artists, who created magnificent work and left everyone wanting more, do; by his own hand.

Can’t make it to New York before August? You can see the exhibit here, narrated by its curator. Please know that the emotion evoked by this video is nowhere near what it is like to be in the actual hall with the crowds of people, the music filling the walls, the lights dimmed. They have camera lights on in this video, someone speaking, and the music is faint in the background — which sincerely makes a difference. However, it is better than not seeing it at all! Enjoy.