Film Review: ‘McQueen’
The McQueen Tapes
The brilliant, tortured designer Alexander McQueen in documentary delight.
“I bought all my fabrics with my Dole Money”.
McQueen (known to friends and family by his given name, Lee) rose to fame in London of the 1990s, as I had finished art school and was heading into my own career in design, I followed his rise with awe and wonderment.
A fabulous film for fashion lovers, Michael Nyman lovers, and art school graduates – I want to watch it all again – The pressure was immense – he made every headline – with 14 collections a year, Alexander McQueen did the impossible – the fragility of life though. What a watch – with an amazing rousing soundtrack so familiar to me.
His rollercoaster touching relationships, with family, friends and colleagues, are dissected sympathetically, and it’s an emotional watch.
Film footage from the “No.13″ Alexander McQueen show in 1999 where robots spray-painted model Shalom Harlow is a masterpiece from this showman who consistently pushed the boundaries of fashion McQueen once said, “I know I’m provocative. You don’t have to like it, but you have to acknowledge it.”
Shalom Harlow emerged at the end of the show, on a revolving wooden platform wearing a white strapless dress with a tulle underlay. As she twirled slowly, like a delicate ballerina, two robotic industrial sprayers, sprayed her with black, green, and yellow paint, staining her white dress.
Shalom Harlow emerged at the end of the show, on a revolving wooden platform wearing a white strapless dress with a tulle underlay. As she twirled slowly, like a delicate ballerina, two robotic industrial sprayers, sprayed her with black, green, and yellow paint, staining her white dress.
This perhaps inspired costume designers petrastorrs, who went on to create Paloma Faith’s stage costumes for her 2009 Koko performance – where her white dress is hit with powder paint during her performance.
