After months of waiting to go see the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A, I finally went over the bank holiday with my mum. There are some posts where the words flow freely and then there are others, like this one, where I just can’t find the right words to sum up a feeling, which is why it’s taken me so long to write this post.
I am a massive, massive fan of McQueen’s creations so had high hopes for this exhibition and the garments that would be displayed. It’s safe to say I wasn’t disappointed. It was absolutely breathtaking seeing everything up close, taking in all the detail and appreciating the workmanship and the story behind each collection and each item.
The atmosphere was fitting, it took in his extreme swings from dark to light, happy to sad, with the music helping enhance the experience. I got goosebumps watching the recreation hologram of a ghostly Kate Moss from his 2006 ‘Widows of Culloden’ show. I teared up watching some of his catwalk shows on screens in a room jam-packed full of spectacular shoes, extravagant sequined items and that spray painted No 13 dress from his S/S RTW 1999 collection. And I ended it all on a feeling of immense sadness that he’s no longer here. He was a true creative genius.
McQueen designed from the side, at the body’s worst angle, to make sure his clothes would work the whole way round, and you can tell from the way the shoulders arch into armour, the way the waist is pulled tight and the way the skirt billows.
His love of feathers, appliqué, armadillo shoes, metallic threads, beads, Swarovski crystals, even razor clam shells, it had them all. It was truly breathtaking and I’d happily go back again.
Find out more about the exhibition here.