When he committed suicide in 2010 at the age of 40, fashion
designer Alexander McQueen left behind a legacy of crafting captivatingly
strange, sensual, and frequently morbid attire. Much more than simple
commercial product, his work was wearable art, seeking to provoke a reaction
from his audience more than anything else. Not for nothing was the massively
popular museum retrospective of his work titled “Savage Beauty.”
With their deeply affecting documentary “McQueen,” directors
Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui
take a close look at McQueen’s life and work, and in the process create an
engrossing film, even for those who don’t consider themselves fashion
connoisseurs.
Known by his given name of Lee to friends and family, McQueen
rose from a working-class London bloke to become a true icon of the fashion
world. His taste for the avant-garde made him a favorite of the likes of Lady
Gaga, who was something of a muse to the designer.
The designer first gained attention in the early ’90s with
unabashedly theatrical catwalk shows that blurred the line between performance
art and fashion: shows like “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims” and “Highland
Rape,” the latter of which inspired no shortage of media controversy. For that
show, McQueen sent models down the runway in bruised makeup, dressed in ripped
and tattered clothing. The show earned McQueen accusations of misogyny, though
he maintained that he was seeking to question the industry’s exploitation of
women rather than glamorize it.
Bonhôte and Ettedgui
have access to a wealth of archival footage, and conduct candid interviews with
those who knew and worked with him. The result is a captivating portrait of a
brilliant but troubled artist that makes no attempt to gloss over his inner
demons; nor do the filmmakers sensationalize them, either.
There’s talk of abuse as a child and drug abuse later on as
McQueen continued to churn out collections at an unsustainable pace. Through it
all, there’s a clear sense of McQueen attempting to work through his demons through
his work. The darkness in his life was reflected in his stunning, often
disturbing and macabre creations he sent down the runway. The movie is equally
inspiring and heartbreaking to watch, and as strong a case as any that fashion
can take the form of truly great art.
This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2018.
