Obviously it would be a cliche to do a blog about McQueen right after his death, right? That’s why I decided to wait until it would be a little bit after, so it’s not really news anymore, but just kind of an ode to genius.
I’m also not going to describe where I was when McQueen died, how I felt, and what I did, because it’s a- embarrassing and b- I doubt you care. What I will say, is fashion will be different with Gucci taking over and though I understand why he decided to do it ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$) there won’t ever be another McQueen.
What is it about fashion that makes it OK to skirt certain designers if you think you can emulate the style?? I could probably emulate Warhol, but would I do it and then try to sell it to MOMA? Hell no, because (despite it being weird and the possibility of my incarceration for fraud) it wouldn’tve been my idea and nothing I would do from that point onward would be true Warhol, unless he was sending me telepathic messages for direction (which would be slightly awesome).
I can say that it worked with Lagerfeld taking over for Chanel, but again, it works differently I believe because its a fashion house known or a specific iconic style. McQueen was known for innovation and change. This year his runway show was aquatic themed… who would’ve predicted that besides him?
Anyway, I found this on YouTube and I think it proves my point. Fashion gets a bad rep because it’s associated with some of the worst things about our society: narcissism, overt fetishization of beauty, superficiality, materialism… But skinned to its core fashion is more than designing clothes, it’s art, and I think the designer deserves the same respect for his art as the artist.
