What Alexander McQueen Can Teach You About Fashion

This is certainly the book I'd love to have on my coffee table purely for display purposes. What a book this was, beautifully illustrated & detailed.

Firstly, may I state this is not a “how to” book. It doesn’t contain tips from the late great Alexander McQueen on how to make or wear high fashion. Instead it is a story of his life and his creations, and how they mixed to make one tortured, haunted soul.

I’ll admit I still remember where I was when I heard McQueen had taken his own life. It was February 2010 and I was 16 years old. I was at school for parents evening waiting to see my philosophy tutor. We were early so my late father was browsing the news on his phone when he told me the news. Neither him nor my mother knew who he was, but I did, and I knew in that moment what a hole would from then on be missing from the fashion world. I visited his exhibition at the V&A in 2015 which was the t hauntingly beautiful experience I would have quite happily kept paying so I could stay in there.

I design my own clothes in my spare time - they haven’t gone any further than my sketchbooks - and am fascinated by fashion, even if I do spend most of my time in sweatpants. The main think I took from this is that McQueen showed us fashion isn’t always about the physical garment. It can be - the garment, the model, the material, the form, the fit - but it’s also about the setting, the meaning, the connotations, and most importantly, how it makes us feel.

There must have been thousands of images for Honigman to choose from and the ones chosen for this are just perfect for depicting McQueen’s inner turmoil. Ideally I would have loved a photo for each garment mentioned but you’d need a separate volume to fit them all in.

It’s not a particularly long book, perfect to read in one sitting if you’re lucky enough to have that spare time. It is informative and informative and interesting and important without being too heavy to read. I may have to buy a physical copy of it to add to my bookshelf.

As McQueen once said, “The world needs fantasy” - ain’t that the truth,

Been fascinated by this designer since his early days being supported by Isabella Blow. This embraces his legacy and ‘out of the box’ thinking. Still being inspired by his work

This was a great bio on designer Alexander McQueen. As somone who has enjoyed his work for many years and wanted to know more about the man behind the work this provided some great information and insight.

I really thought this book was great, a perfect coffee table book as well.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Developing my interest for fashion after Alexander McQueen left this realm, it was difficult for me to understand his genius and impact. This book answers any question one might have about his work and the influences that shaped it and his intentions.

This book takes the reader into the designer's most important themes. While being organized like this, I bumped into a lot of information and quotes that kept on repeating. Here I note the BDSM influence, his passion and intent for using tartan, his muses, etc. I would have loved for the book to get deeper, to explain more these recurring themes than mentioning them over and over. I also would have loved to encounter a visual for really all the outfits the book features.

This is a short book perfect to gift to fashion aficionados, it's a great introduction to Alexander McQueen's genius, there are so many details we take now for granted that he had the courage to bring forth. For learning this and understanding his extraordinary talent, stance and craft - this book is worth reading.

I received a copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion.