Oh, Savage Beauty!

Alexander McQueen - Savage Beauty

Anna Wintour and Samantha Cameron gathered London's fashion press at the Ritz on February morning - the site of Alexander McQueen's first post-graduate show - to unveil Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, the exhibition to be held at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute; which will be launched by this year's Met Ball on May 2.

"When I heard from Anna Wintour that the Costume Institute's major annual exhibition would explore the artistry of Alexander McQueen, I was thrilled by this recognition of British fashion," Cameron said. "I'm sure that the party on the second of May will be a very, very special night."

Thomas P Campbell, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute's curator, both spoke at length about McQueen's contribution to the fashion world - as well as his standing as an artist in his own right.

"McQueen's work fits easily in the discourse of art. He can be considered no less than a great artist," Campbell said, before thanking Anna Wintour for helping make the exhibition possible thanks to her "spirit and brilliance". 

"We drew on the McQueen archive in London and are indebted to McQueen's so-workers and colleagues for their willingness to share their memories of him," Bolton said. "Especially Stella McCartney, whose friendship with McQueen makes her an ideal co-chair for the Costume Institute Ball, and Sarah Burton, who gave a valuable insight in to McQueen's design process over the past 14 years."

Stella McCartney and Sarah Burton joined Wintour, Cameron, Campbell and Bolton at this morning's launch, flanked by some of McQueen's most impressive creations. The exhibition will run from May 4 to July 31, 2011, and will features pieces from all of McQueen's collections - from Nihilism in 1994, to his posthumousAngels & Demons collection in 2010. The McQueen tartan, the Kate Moss hologram and cabinets of McQueen "curiosities" will be highlights of an exhibition whose scale aims to come close to the genius of the man himself.

Text and info from Vogue UK.

BOOK - Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Alexander McQueen was one of the most influential, imaginative and inspirational designers at the turn of the millennium. His fashions both challenged and expanded the conventional parameters of clothing beyond utility to a compelling expression of culture, politics and identity. Focusing on the most iconic and acclaimed designs of his prolific career, this stunning book examines McQueen’s inimitable technical virtuosity and its subversion of traditional tailoring and dressmaking practices. 

The book also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures found in McQueen’s collections and in his astonishing and extravagant runway presentations, which suggested the most avant-garde installation and performance art. Intended as an assessment of Alexander McQueen’s entire career, the book includes in-depth studies of six collections that illustrate and encapsulate thematic chapters as well as an interview with Sarah Burton, the new creative director of Alexander McQueen who had been the designer’s right-hand design aide since 1996. Savage Beauty is set to release on May 31, 2011, with a pre-order now in effect through Amazon.