AUTHOR: Andrew Bolton
STARTED: April 21, 2012
FINISHED: April 21, 2012
PAGES: 240
GENRE: Art
FIRST SENTENCE: [Director's Forward] There are any number of fashion designers with the creative distinction to warrant a presentation of their work in an art museum.
SUMMARY: [From Barnes and Noble] Arguably the most influential,
imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander
McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express
ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
examines the full breadth of the designer’s career, from the start of
his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London
house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how
McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring,
the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological
innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the
highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections
and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde
installation and performance art.
Published to coincide with an
exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume
Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an
introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah
Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen;
illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and
captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a
lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
celebrates the astounding creativity and originality of a designer who
relentlessly questioned and confronted the requisites of fashion.
THOUGHTS: This book was lovely - no really, the pictures were stunningly (and so was the subject matter). I knew very little about McQueen's life before reading this, but I found him to be a fascinating person. His work, while a bit crazy for some, always contained a deeper story and complex reasoning behind him. This book does a superb job of showcasing both the designer and his creations. The images, as I stated earlier, are beautiful and the text that accompanies them is well chosen.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has even a modicum of interest in Alexander McQueen.
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]
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