McQueen (2018)

For many Alexander McQueen fans, including myself, McQueen's work was more than stunning fashion: it was a powerful statement about rising above abuse, the burdens of beauty, defying gender norms, death, humanity, and empowerment. The filmmakers did a spectacular job of capturing these themes in McQueen's work through interviews and photo/video montages. Every moment of the film is thought provoking. The visuals are haunting. We must treasure this rare look into the private world of fashion's most elusive, misunderstood genius. The film succeeds most of all by presenting a heartrending timeline of McQueen not only as an infamous designer, but as a person ravaged by the industry. Alexander's life was triumphant and tragic in equal measures; he quite literally lost himself to his genius, pouring so much emotion into the McQueen brand that it became an extension of himself. Ultimately, as the film tells us, fusing his identity with the brand resulted in brilliant, theatrical shows...and the loss of his sanity.I wish that certain runway shows [namely, the Horn of Plenty] were examined a bit more, but McQueen was such a powerhouse that the film would have spanned 3+ hours if they had discussed all his work in depth. I also wish that we could have heard from Sarah Burton, who now directs the house of McQueen. Despite its small missed opportunities, this film will stick with you long after you've left the theatre.

Since Alexander McQueen's death there has been more exhibitions, books and information about him. He is one of my favourite designers and there was so much publicity for a man who during his lifetime I didn't really take notice.I became a fan of McQueen's work on May 2016 when I started researching about him, and then around this time there was an exhibition on Isabella Blow at the Powerhouse Museum, and I got the chance to see her clothes.This is a well-made documentary and there was an idea of making a movie about McQueen, but this was changed due to Jack O'Connell not being attached to the project.In McQueen's earlier part of his career he was disciplined and very ambitious and creative then unfortunately as McQueen's fame rose and people saw him more as a priority his mental health and personal life deteriorated further, due to more pressure to excel.McQueen was interested with the anatomy of the body, and his fashion is sculptural and organic. I believe the use of the McQueen skulls was created because of his interest with teeth, and you can see the lower part of the skull as priority in this design. McQueen liked using the media and his fashion shows were presented in a very theatrical way his models would perform so well for the camera, and during later shows it was amazing how the models walked in those high shoes.McQueen's life was controversial and he will be remembered as an unforgettable fashion designer and couturier.

PipAndSqueak makes some strong points, but I'm not sure what he's saying about people's (lack of) grief at McQueen's passing -- that McQueen was a control freak and therefore not cared about in the end?I don't know what PipAndSqueak is referring to with "LAM" - does anyone know? I was actually wondering if PipAndSqueak might be Detmar Blow - but no evidence for that.PipAndSqueak titled his (?) essay "Sacrificial LAM" - that's what I was just thinking -- that Alexander McQueen functioned in his life, and functions now, as an 'Art Christ' similar to van Gogh - but for the 21st century. Considering the disposability of males to most species including the human species, it's disturbing to contemplate that McQueen may actually serve as a type of human sacrifice for the art and beauty craving masses, during this era of ugliness and chaos. Perhaps his extreme creative honesty and ability to transmute ugliness into beauty filled the massive cultural chasm we are currently suffering.This documentary is pretty much on par with the documentary put out about Alexander McQueen in 2011. It offers us a lot of new information, for which I am grateful, and it is entertaining.I've found just as much value in watching interviews with McQueen on YouTube. But this movie presents a concise - if not complete - picture of his career and art. I greatly appreciate that this film was made, and I hope we can learn from it and advance ourselves further given the knowledge it affords to us.

It is a shame that the creative genius of this consummate artist and craftsman is so shabbily depicted. We are given tantalizing glimpses of the man himself as well as his chief advocator, promoter and friend, Isabella Blow. We are presented odd interviews with people who had been present at certain points in McQueen's life. In fact, there is little other than the actual filmed footage that we could not have read about in the catalogues and articles published for the posthumous shows that have been staged of his work since. We are not taken, visually or in discussion, to the very down at heel East London where he grew up. The connection with Isabella's wearing of McQueen's creations as day-wear and the fact she wore the heels down on her designer shoes seems never to be noticed. She 'inhabited' McQueen's designs to such an extent that McQueen's devastation on her suicide (referenced in this film as death from illness) is almost as inevitable as his own death. If you have LAM initials (Lee Alexander McQueen) and you go into a trade noted for its ephemeral, disposable products, you won't find the idea of nihilism and self-destruction much of a surprise. McQueen tattooed mannequin hand-arm lines on his wrists - come on, he's telling you everything and you still miss it! McQueen said he wanted to empower women - by giving them armor. We know he did this in several ways, sometimes literally with breast-plates. What the clips in this film do show, however, is slightly at odds with the narrative. It is claimed his focus, once working with a garment was 100%. Well, look out for the clip where he is working on alterations to a piece worn by a model whose bottom half is naked. McQueen is conscious of where the camera is being directed and looks quickly to camera to tell the cameraman to move the focus up....that is, to protect the female model's modesty. That, more than anything else, tells you the nature of the man and, why the people connected to him interviewed in this presentation are still hurting with grief.