The most anticipated show of the year has finally arrived at London's Victoria and Albert Museum and it's a sold-out event for months ahead.
The much admired British designer who has not just influenced the club kid scene, but was also part of it (we met him first at Fiction back in 2001), is celebrated here with a large exhibition of his most notewordy creations, couture and audio-visual media alike.
The much admired British designer who has not just influenced the club kid scene, but was also part of it (we met him first at Fiction back in 2001), is celebrated here with a large exhibition of his most notewordy creations, couture and audio-visual media alike.
The exhibition is the first retrospective of McQueen's work in Europe, and has taken over three of the V&A's galleries with the selection chosen by Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton. Lee's body of work is arranged thematically, with areas focused on different notions of Romanticism – including gothic, primitivism, nationalism and naturalism.
A recording of McQueen's voice is played in the grey-coloured gallery, where examples of his tailoring and early collections are presented alongside footage of his first catwalk show from 1995. From there you enter the catacomb room, with bone-covered walls and mannequins set into alcoves and clothed in extravagant garments made from synthetic hair and feathers. An egg-shape pool above us is revealing a girl swimming inside. A "cabinet of curiosities" occupies a double-height space, with all four walls covered by niches filled with more than 100 garments and accessories – including collaborations with milliner Philip Treacy and jeweller Shaun Leane. In the centre, a dress that was spray-painted live by two robotic arms slowly rotates as the model did during its original '99 presentation. Another highight is the glass pyramid inside which the incredible hologram display of Kate Moss is played in its entirety, the amazing displays of his Voss and Horn Of Plenty collections. It's a walk down memory lane for many of us who remember these eponymous collections. His last collection naturally closes the show and leaves you kind of wanting more, which is meticulously achieved by a surpirse room - the gallery shop. It's full of cards, prints, little objects, accessories, scarves (for £360 plus) and plenty of other stuff, most of which perfectly unnecessary, beautifully arranged and somewhat inviting. It's a treat in which one should only indulge in modesty.
We have an exclusive : 4 tickets for today 7:30pm - a surprise one-off offer available only to 4 of you on first come first serve basis. Inbox for details.
