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Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Bolton, Andrew, with contributions by Tim Blanks and Susannah Frankel (2011)

This title is in print.

Independent Publishers Book Awards Book of the Year: Most Outstanding Design (2012)
Bookforum's 20 Best Art Books from the Past 20 Years (2014)

Description

Arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designer's career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde installation and performance art.

Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty celebrates the astounding creativity and originality of a designer who relentlessly questioned and confronted the requisites of fashion.

Table of contents

Sponsor's Statement

Director's foreword

Preface
Andrew Bolton

Introduction
Susannah Frankel

The Romantic Mind

Romantic Gothic

Romantic Nationalism

Romantic Exoticism

Romantic Primitivism

Romantic Naturalism

Cabinet of Curiosities

An Interview with Sarah Burton
Tim Blanks

Exhibition Checklist

Notes

Acknowlegments

About the authors

Andrew Bolton is Curator at The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Susannah Frankel is Fashion Editor of The Independent newspaper.

Tim Blanks is Contributing Editor of Style.com.

Press reviews

Bookforum

"Here we see the triumph of fashion as art..."

The Wall Street Journal

"... stunning collecton ..."

The New York Times

"Intended to be a reference book upon which future explorations of Mr. McQueen's importance may be weighed."

New York Magazine

"Features new glorious photos of some of the late designer's most glorious pieces. The book also includes Tim Blanks's interview with McQueen's successor, Sarah Burton—one of the most extensive that's been conducted."

Harper's Bazaar

"McQueen's brilliance is celebrated in this sumptuous tome ... The hologram cover makes it a collector's item."

STYLEITE

"The Cut got their hands on a copy of the catalog for Savage Beauty, and, yes, it's stunning."

Living North

"A super-glossy and utterly gorgeous coffee table tome, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is a must for any fashionista."

Daily Express

"It is a captivating tribute to the designers most radical and beautiful creations, from his impeccable tailoring at Savile Row through to his most avant-garde collections. I love all the detail shots which highlight the sheer intricacy of his work."

Vogue Blog

"Within is a meaty, inspiring read (writers include Susannah Frankel, Tim Blanks, and Andrew Bolton) with pivotal designs displayed."

Daily Mail

"... a stunning book celebrating his career ..."

Telegraph

"The haunting holographic image on the front of the catalogue is evocative and mesmerizing."

Observer Magazine (The Lust List)

"Alexander McQueen book Savage Beauty, a stunning overview of the work of Britain's favorite designer."

Selectism

"This stunning book examines McQueen's inimitable technical virtuosity ..."

Washington Post

"... stunning catalog ..."

Mail Online

"... a stunning book celebrating his career ..."

Dazed & Confused Magazine

"The dark beauty begins not on the first page but on the cover ..."

I.D. Magazine

"... the definitive reference of Lee Alexander McQueen ..."

Brisbane Times

"Into that yearning breach left by McQueen's death and [Kristen Knox's] unsatisfactory book delivered to his flock of followers, has dropped curator Andrew Bolton's definitive Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty ... a solid, 240 matte-paged bible ... The books cover shows a single, holographic image of McQueen's face that dissolves, at a tilt, into a sinister, molten metal skull. It's a poignant trick, a reminder that McQueen's personal demons tempered his aesthetic as much as his anti-establishment politics and wild imagination ... This remarkable, intensely detailed art ... is mesmerizing in Solve Sundsbo's static, mannequin photographs ... Many books will come dedicated to [McQueen's] genius, but Savage Beauty will remain a beacon."

Irish Times

"The show and book, Savage Beauty, offer plenty of ammunition to the charge that the fashion and art world will never see the like of Alexander McQueen again ... McQueen's work, as illustrated in this book, asks as many questions as it answers, and that seems to be the mark of great art."

Metro

" .. a knockout career overview of the British fashion designer ... . the book provides an in-depth exploration of six McQueen collections ... [and] photographs of mannequins in McQueen pieces showcase every stage of the designers innovative, provocative and influential 19-year career."

Irish Examiner

"... curator Andrew Bolton has created a companion book of 2250 exquisite images ... Personal quotes feature opposite McQueen's deeply personal fashion, creating a remarkable approximation of an autobiography."

V & A Magazine

"Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is a sumptuous catalogue ... There is enough detail to satisfy the student of fashion and striking full-page images that convey McQueen's sense of style and his flair for dramatic statements. It is no mean feat to express movement and life on static mannequins, but [photographer Solve] Sundsbo makes the designers creations float, dance, and strut."

The Philippine Star

"It's hard to miss this book. Peering behind a holographic skull from a substantial fabric-bound hardback is Alexander McQueen. A fitting image for a book that attempts to provide a glimpse into the mind of the reclusive late designer ..."

FashionHistorian.net

"While most people, by now, will have heard much about the exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, ... not much attention has been paid to the text of the exhibition catalog ... The book itself is a beautiful object, printed in Italy, with a now-familiar hologram of McQueen's face juxtaposed with a skull. The catalog is visually stunning."

The Boston Globe

"Produced to coincide with an exhibit of the late designer's work, this is more tour de force than catalog. Lush photography blended with essays provides a 360-degree view of Englands most audacious designer ..."

Financial Times

"An authoritative and moving insight into the legacy of the British designer ... Sensitive and intelligent introductions explore his career, working methods, and the complex psyche behind his dramatic creations."

The New York Times Book Review

"... splendid ..."

The Independent

"In place of the hugely evocative and wildly dramatic wide-angled images for which McQueen's presentations were well-known, are Solve Sundsbo's quieter and mournfully lovely photographs of his work, often seen up close, and that elevate McQueen from showman to bona fide artist ..."

The New York Times

"... the exhibitions book cover has a chilling image of Lee (his original name) McQueen sliding between photos of his face and that of a skull."

Vogue Living

"... telling essays ..."

The Wall Street Journal

"... a surefire bet for any fashionista."

Racked

"Besides just looking cool, the Savage Beauty catalog is the first-ever for an exhibit at the Costume Institute to be more than just clothes photographed on mannequins."

The New York Review of Books

"The front cover of the exhibition catalog takes a page straight out of the Mapplethorpe playbook: a plastic lenticular panel features a frontal headshot of the designer that, when moved, morphs into a chrome-plated skull."

Who What Wear

"This book is a stunning, comprehensive companion piece to the Met's amazing McQueen exhibition. ... If you're a fan of Alexander McQueen's work or simply a fashion aficionado, you must pick up this incredible book pronto! In addition to being filled with images of McQueen's most iconic designs ... Bolton includes profound commentary from the designer himself, plus an incredible interview with Sarah Burton."

Culture Surfing

"The exhibition catalog—with its gorgeous images placed alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himself—makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show ... McQueen's technical precision and lightness of touch, along with that weird, wild, and wandering imagination, are apparent in every image."

Library Journal

"Clarifies some misconceptions about the designer's work ... helps illuminate McQueen's artistic process ... recommended for readers with an interest in contemporary fashion."

The New York Times

"Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty ... is, even with good essays by Andrew Bolton and Susannah Frankel, primarily a visual experience. From its unnerving cover picture ... through its astonishing photographs of his extremist couture, it captures at least some of the hard-to-shake atmosphere of a show that is bound to have lasting reverberations."

Baby & Me

"This stunning book features the most iconic and radical designs of his prolific career."

Bite

"As you turn the pages, you get an amazing insight into the man who continually emphasized the importance of imagination and free expression through his art ... . 224 wonderful pages showcasing the phenomenal mind of the late fashion designer with 250 colour illustrations to hold the attention of the reader. ... this gold mine book available in hardcover with lenticular image is a must-have addition to your library and a way of keeping the memory and work of Alexander McQueen alive."

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