FASHION WORLD LOSES AN ICON

PARIS—Provocative British designer Alexander McQueen has died, the company that owns his fashion house said Thursday.

"He has passed away," said a spokeswoman for Gucci Group, part of Paris's retail-to-luxury group PPR SA.

Alexander McQueen at his fall-winter menswear collection in Milan in January.
More on McQueen

* McQueen's Last Tweets
* Twitter Reactions to Designer's Death
* McQueen's Primordial Reveries (10/06/09)
* McQueen's Theatrics Revs Up Audience (03/10/09)
* McQueen Holds (Goth) Court (03/01/08)
* McQueen Pays Tribute to Isabella Blow (10/06/07)

Samantha Garrett, a spokeswoman for the British fashion icon, said the designers body was found at his London home Thursday morning. "We don't have any information in terms of circumstances," she said.

Police didn't directly comment about how Mr. McQueen died, but said the death wasn't being treated as suspicious.

Mr. McQueen was the creative chief behind the brand he founded in the 1990s and sold to Gucci Group in 2000. His dramatic designs, such as reptilian dresses and hoof-like shoes, were met with critical acclaim, yet he struggled to get commercial success.

Mr. McQueen, who was also once the designer for French fashion house Givenchy, was due to present his collection during Paris fashion week less than a month from now.

"McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs," said Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue. "At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashions shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over."

Mr. McQueen received his training at London's Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design, long recognized for its fashion-forward approach and encouragement of young designers. He worked for traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard, and Gieves and Hawkes before branching out into his own more theatrical designs.

His edgy creations have been seen on numerous red carpets, worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Sandra Bullock and Cameron Diaz.

News of Mr. McQueen's death came as New York fashion week kicked off, sending shock waves through the industry. "Everyone in this tent is shocked," said Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour magazine. "He was obviously incredibly talented and had a creative energy. There was a real sense of energy in everything he did."

Hal Rubenstein, a fashion director for InStyle magazine, said Mr. McQueen started out tough and angry—in his work and attitude—but softened over time as he felt more appreciated by the industry. Mr. McQueen, he added, was a master of integration of technology into fashion. "He changed the way so many of us see shows," Mr. Rubenstein said.

Fashion designer Richard Chai, who learned of the news as he was preparing for his 11 a.m. show at Bryant Park, called Mr. McQueen's death a tragedy. "He was a genius. I really have no words. It is just sad," he said.

The British designer's death comes three years after the suicide of fashion guru Isabella Blow, who helped launch Mr. McQueen's career.

MICHAEL'S FASHION MAKES COMEBACK

At "Michael Jackson This Is It," moviegoers will not see the elaborate costumes created for the tour that never was, bedazzled with 4 million Swarovski crystals and lighted up using LED technology. Those are on display at the O2 Arena in London, where the tour had been scheduled to begin in July, and will go on to New York and Tokyo.

But what they will see, in addition to tough and tender moments that humanize the pop singer and one hell of a music and dance show, is an amazing array of designer outfits Jackson wore to rehearsals.

A black leather pagoda-sleeve jacket and a crystal-trimmed tuxedo designed by the likes of Christophe Decarnin for Balmain, Kris Van Assche for Dior Homme and Tom Ford speak to Jackson's renewed relevance in fashion circles, and the changing relationship between music and fashion.

Jackson became a style icon in the 1980s because of his individual, often theatrical styling choices for the stage -- the single sequined glove, the white socks, the fedora. But his recent comeback was engineered with the help of fashion designers, with Balmain's Decarnin recognizing the retro appeal of tennis-ball-shaped shoulders and over-the-top embroidery, and Jackson appearing in his designs.

We had been used to seeing Jackson show up for courtroom appearances in scrubs, surgical masks, arm bands and other kooky attire, some of it designed by his longtime L.A.-based costume designers, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, who have a Michael mannequin in their Los Feliz studio.
But his look changed with an introduction to fashion stylist Rushka Bergman, and it is her work that is mostly front and center in the film, because Jackson's everyday clothes end up as his de facto costumes.

A pint-sized powerhouse from Serbia who says things like "forever daaahling," Bergman first met Jackson when she styled him in Dior Homme for the October 2007 issue of Italian Vogue L'Uomo.

Some might say it was the beginning of his comeback when she put him in Hedi Slimane's slim-line suits, fashionable at the time with Mick Jagger, Beck, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand and nearly every other credible male rocker.

The morning of the film's premiere, Bergman pulled out snapshots of Jackson trying on clothes at his house, and called him her "supermodel" because he fit into anything, including women's clothes. She emphasized his sex appeal ("He's sooooooo sexxxy!"), which comes into focus in the film for the first time in a long time, despite Jackson's surgerized face.

"When he wears Balmain on-screen, you say, 'Wow!'," she said.

In the film, Jackson looks fabulous much of the time, save for a few unfortunate print shirts and patched sweat pants that could well be the influence of L.A. fashion impresario Christian Audigier, who had approached Jackson about collaborating on a line.

But more often, you notice sharp tailoring and light-reflecting color. In a Tom Ford tuxedo worn during dancer auditions, skinny orange Dior Homme jeans, a red leather Balmain motorcycle jacket with crystal studded shoulders worn during the "Thriller" rehearsal and a Balmain suede military jacket worn with Alessandro Dell'Acqua gold sequin pants, Jackson looks powerful and contemporary.

"Seeing the clothing Rushka had selected, you could see Michael's influence," said Travis Payne, assistant director and choreographer for the This Is It Tour.

In recent years, pop stars have turned to fashion designers for costumes with increasing regularity, with Kylie Minogue choosing Jean Paul Gaultier for her recent North American tour, and Beyonce enlisting Thierry Mugler.

Payne wanted to bring fashion relevance to Jackson's on-stage persona too, so he solicited sketches from several designers, including John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.

Ultimately, New York-based fashion and costume designer Zaldy was tapped. Having worked with the Scissor Sisters and Gwen Stefani, while producing his own clothing line, he bridged the worlds of music and fashion.

Jackson was to have 10 costumes by Zaldy and six by Bush and Tompkins. Bush also helped dress the dancers and singers, as did Jennifer Rade, a Hollywood stylist whose star client is Angelina Jolie. The tour costumes will be featured in a "This Is It" DVD.

"Zaldy is the new cool thing and working with him gave Michael credibility. But Michael Bush is near and dear to his heart. So I wanted them to collaborate," Payne said.

Bush's "Smooth Criminal" costume is a white, 1940s-inspired pinstripe suit. Zaldy's updated "Thriller" jacket is hand-embroidered to look like it has blood dripping from the shoulders.

 "That was probably the hardest piece to do because it was so iconic," Zaldy said.

But his "Billy Jean" costume was the piece de resistance, with a jacket, tuxedo pants, ankle socks and a single glove that would light up using remote control, thanks to new Lumalive LED textile technology rushed through development by Philips Research in the Netherlands.

Zaldy remembers, "In the fitting, when Michael tried it on, his mouth literally dropped and he said, 'It's everything I always wanted.'"

(Source: LA Times)

Alexander McQueen is right on TARGET

McQ makes it's way to a Target near you. Yes, you heard me, McQ, the moderate priced line by innovative fashion designer and legend Alexander McQueen. As for the inspiration behind this specific collection:

“We use icons in British music, and [Liela Moss] stood out. She’s a great-looking girl and has a personal style. It fell into the idea of the New York underground music scene. It was more the atmosphere she portrays.”

A clearer idea of the collection in the designer's words, “The collection has a muted color palette of black, white, gray and tan with accents of cobalt blue and bright pink. Studs and mesh give items an edge. There are studded jeans, shorts and denim jackets with asymmetrical closures, short tuxedo jackets and matching shorts, dresses in a blue and white painterly fabric, a one-shoulder dress in a gray-and-black zigzag pattern with a thick black belt, and a T-shirt with the image of Moss. The designer’s favorite pieces in the line include “the pink and black pieces and the little prom dresses.”

The images above are (left) of Leila in in a cotton mesh dress and rayon tank from McQ Alexander McQueen for Target, and the image on the right features a Silk-screen cotton jersey T-shirt over cotton and spandex denim pants by McQ Alexander McQueen for Target.

I applaud McQ for following in the fancy economy-friendly footsteps of Isaac, Cynthia, Rogan, and Converse. With the recession in full effect, this will definitely help the recessionistas that are still trying to maintain trend while still pinching pennies. So far, the line reminds me alot of the days of NYC and CBGB's but with a lil more McQueen-vibe in the cuts and fabric choices. So, I suggest grabbing a unique piece to incorporate into your already stacked wardrobe and make it your own! We give McQueen kudos for economical fashion in 2009!