The Met: Alexander McQueen

If you are anywhere near the NYC vicinity or find yourself there, do yourself a favor and visit the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit at the Met.  I expected a few rooms of his designs hung on mannequins to be the extent of the exhibit, which I would have been happy to see but was met with an entirely different experience.

Image via Travelmoon

Each installation in the many rooms that comprised the exhibit provided a unique cacophony of sights and sounds.  Revealing that not only were his display of his designs deeply thought out but so were the surrounding feel of the rooms, music, visuals, and mood.  

The first room was stark, with mannequins on wood floors showing his early designs.  Placards told of human hair hidden within the designs, this gave way to even more unique and artistic creations as you weaved your way through the exhibit.

Despite your familiarity with Alexander McQueen (vast or non-existent), it is instantly clear that his designs were not mere pieces of fashion but thought provoking, at times disturbing, always making a statement about something much deeper than what initially meets the eye.  So many pieces were so off the wall, that it was hard to imagine that one could even espouse the immense vision and go to such a dark place to dream them up.

Many of the pieces were inspired by periods of history and rooted in Scottish and English tradition.  

While in others, inspiration were found in far flung places spanning the globe.

Whether it was a dress flowing from some unseen blast of air, a 3-D hologram of Kate Moss twirling in one of Alexander McQueen's creations, or the re-creation of one of his fashion shows that included the use of a two way mirror to reveal a shocking image, each room evoked a visceral sensation of other worldliness.

Images via The Met Museum

At times sinister, macabre, inspiring, and utterly beautiful, this truly is a sight one must behold in person if only to grasp a tiny granule of the intense artistic visionary that was Alexander McQueen.