This Just In: Alexander McQueen Commits Suicide

Celebrated English fashion designer Alexander McQueen, 40, was found dead in his luxury flat in Green Park, central London; days after the death of his mother, Joyce.

It is believed that he hanged himself and paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene. The news was confirmed today by his office, however they are not making a comment at this time in respect for the McQueen family.

The death of McQueen comes just three years after the news that Isabella Blow, his longtime mentor and friend who bought his entire graduate collection committed suicide by drinking weed killer after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She had attempted suicide several times prior.

After being discovered by Blow, the fashion director of Tatler known for her extravagant hats, McQueen was dubbed the ‘enfant terrible’ of fashion. Over the years he continued to influence the world with his avant-garde stylings and shocking theatrical runway shows. His Fall 2006 show, Widows of Culloden, featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss, dressed in yards of rippling fabric floating above the stage. The Spring/Summer 2010 show, Plato’s Atlantis, was one of the first to be live streamed on Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio website, garnering so much traffic that the website shut down as the show was about to start! Plato’s Atlantis featured futuristic elements like prosthetics on the model’s faces and backs, and tightly wound hair, borderline grotesque, yes, but the overall effect of a McQueen show was always that of undeniable beauty and impressive craftsmanship.

He has boutiques in New York, London, Los Angeles, Milan, and Las Vegas. A cult following and now with news upon his death there is no doubt that Alexander McQueen will be revered as one of the best to ever work in this industry. His point of view was otherworldly and his sublime collaborations with milliner Philip Treacy will forever remain as some of the best runway moments of all time.

McQueen’s death will be felt throughout the fashion world as this comes days before the start of London Fashion Week and weeks before he was due to unveil his new collection at Paris Fashion Week on March 9.

Alexander McQueen was the youngest of six children. He attended Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. He got his training tailoring in Savile Row making suits for Prince Charles. He was awarded British Designer of the Year four times, awarded the CBE, and International Designer of the Year at the Council of Fashion and Designer Awards.

Openly gay he married his partner, filmmaker, George Forysth, in the summer of 2000 on a yacht and Kate Moss served as a bridesmaid. He has stated, “I was sure of myself and my sexuality and I’ve got nothing to hide. I went straight from my mother’s womb onto the gay parade.” I hope that leaving you with that can make you smile, because truly, this is a tragic loss.

One word: under-boob…or is that two? Regardless, leave it to Brian Lichtenberg to work under-boob into his SS09 collection. Debuting at this past L.A. Fashion Week, BL offered a collection which included his signature patched together wonders, including a full body stocking that my body is craving to be encased in, a bandage/bondage dress that my own personal under-boob is desperate to peep out of, neck pieces as part of a collaborative effort with Alex & Chloe and headpieces that would have made Isabella Blow proud by L.A.’s Franc Fernandez.

Untitled from Brian Lichtenberg on Vimeo.

Litchenberg has been on the rise and seems to be continuing in that direction. Dressing the likes of M.I.A., Katy Perry, Santogold, Yelle, Lady GaGa and even Mz. Beyonce is found rocking BL in her latest video “Diva”. Yeah, I’d say he’s doing alright.

See his entire SS09 Collection, including under-boob after the jump!

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New York Fashion Week also heralded the opening of FIT’s (Fashion Institute of Technology) Gothic: Dark Glamour, an exhibition at the school’s museum dedicated to
Gothic inspired Fashion, which contained myriad leather, lace, and corsetry, ranging from historical costumes, to theatrical gowns, and gothic street wear, many of which bear the marks of haute couturiers, like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

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In my much younger days of flipping through the glossy pages of fashion mags, there was always one women that stood out from the rest. I wasn’t familiar with who she was just fascinated with her creamy white skin, brightly colored lips and those hats!!! I remember thinking to myself “I want to be an eccentric fashion lady like that when I grow up!”. As I grew up and became more immersed in the fashion world, I became more familiar with “that lady”, Isabella Blow.

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