A trip to Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty exhibition

This summer, we had a spell of lovely weather and decided it was the perfect time for a company trip. With Alexander McQueen’s exhibition dominating the press for months, we decided to all go see it for our annual outing. Alexander McQueen’s works didn’t fail to surprise and amaze us.

He’s the kind of genius that only comes around once in a generation.

To me, he’s not just a fashion designer. He sought not only to dress the women of the world but also to provoke people in general with his approach to his work – although as I am a supporter of feminism, I find it quite hard to accept him as such a misogynist for his design that objectified his models in a painful, dark and twisted sexual manner.

I especially love the last collection, Spring/Summer 2010, before he ended his life. His famous Armadillo shoes shock me every time I see them. The 12-inch python stilettos must have stolen the show when the model walked out. I remember I read somewhere that lots of models refused to step on onto the runway for fear of breaking their legs.

I felt a personal connection with the exhibition and lingered there for a long time. The fact that McQueen with no family background in fashion achieved such a massive success and left this world as an eternal legend make me feel inspired in admiration of his works. McQueen will always be a demi god in the fashion industry for his unique eye and fiercely innovative style that no one else can even come close to. This has always been my approach to life, but going to this exhibition once more confirms this: to stay on top of whatever you do, be creative, unique and innovative.

Our outing ended with a delicious dinner at Viet Grill in Shoreditch.

What did the Grain team say about the exhibition?

Juli: I had never fully appreciated what a tortured soul McQueen was. Seeing how he translated this, along with his fascination for culture and history was brilliant – if a little (lot) creepy. He has definitely inspired me to get well out of that box and believe and fight for my ideas – even French bulldogs!

Rosalind: It was interesting to see some of the clothes that I studied when doing A-levels, which I had not really thought about since. Although the designs were fascinating, I would have liked to have seen the journey and history of McQueen’s life and more analysis of him and the designs.

Nicola: On the whole, the day inspired me personally in the sense that it reminded me to be confident in your own vision and creativity. The McQueen show was beautifully done, the exhibitions were well designed and I appreciated the detail and care that was taken to display the pieces in a creative way. The cabinet of curiosities was particularly cool for me. My mother was an artist and used to collect bits and bobs that she would display in pigeon holes in her studio, so it reminded me a lot of that.

Feature image credit: McQueen’s Armadillo shoes