FASHION MEMORABILIA’RT & TRIBUTE
By Cyriaque Griffon
Photos : Cyriaque Griffon
After Los Angeles and Melbourne, the stunning “Alexander McQueen ; Art Meets Fashion” exhibition aiming at highlighting the chimerical career of the British designer, was held in Quebec City at the “Quebec Fine Arts National Museum” (MNBAQ) until the beginning of 2024.
I recently saw the first Canadian exhibition dedicated to the effervescent creative universe of a key figure in the international fashion industry, Lee Alexander McQueen (1969-2010), once called “the hooligan of British Industry” by the “Times of London”. This astonishing fashion retrospective encompasses two decades (1990 – 2010) at the beginning of which the talented-rules breaking designer burst onto the style scene with his trailblazing collections of crafted garments which were critically acclaimed.
For “FashionistA’rt lovers”
This journey through the extensive expertise in apparel design will thrill fashionistas and art lovers alike as the bold staging will take you through different epochs whether they are the the Italian Renaissance or echoes of Greek Antiquity. They explain McQueen’s artistic heritage between various periods of History, artistic currents and apparel collections and thus emphasize his sources of inspiration. The exhibit comprises almost 200 objects, including fashion ensembles, works of arts, historic costumes, headdresses and shoes. After working as as head designer for Gucci and partnering with Givenchy, before winning the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) ’s Designer of the Year Award in 2003, the once labeled “enfant terrible” McQueen, committed suicide in 2010 at the age of 40.
If you dream of a voyage through McQueen’s heritage and creative universe, this well staged narrative thread will definitely enable you to grasp the imagination of one the most talented designers in the haute-couture arena. And if you want to be as astounded as I was when viewing the exhibition, just keep yourself informed on the upcoming exhibition’s venue in case the show may go on… So, you’d better be on the lookout for it since the big question mark is: “Where?”