Like everyone in the fashion (and beauty) world on Friday, I was devastated to hear of Alexander McQueen’s untimely death. Like his clothing line purchaser, Isabella Blow in 2007, McQueen took his own life ten days after the death of his mother. He was once asked to name his most terrifying fear, and he looked at his mom straight in the eye and said, “Dying before you.”
Beauty editors sat up and took note last year when the enfant terrible of fashion smeared lipstick on and all around his models’ faces in the F/W 2009 show. But he was much more than a beauty rebel: he was a fashion icon. He was known for his unconventional designs and shock tactics that wowed celebrities from Bjork to Rihanna to Lady Gaga.
He was a terrific creative force, recreating lavish productions for his shows from the spring 2003 collection (recreating a shipwreck), a chess game in 2005 and “Windows of Culloden” in 2006 which featured a life-size hologram of supermodel Kate Moss dressed in fabric that seemed endless.
But whatever the situation may have been for McQueen, it is a tragedy to the fashion world and the legacy he leaves behind. I am so sad that artists feel that they have to end their lives because of some personal and emotional conflict bigger than they can handle. McQueen’s sad and untimely death is a cry to all artists to speak up in their time of need so others can show comfort and help if they can.
McQueen’s brilliant, genius vision – often scary – sometimes liquid and poetic will be truly missed.