There was a happy vibe up and down Fifth Avenue today. Thousands of gay couples converged on Manhattan to celebrate Friday’s same-sex marriage victory and the culmination of gay pride week.
I didn’t attend the big parade. Instead, I spent the morning at the Met, studying the creative genius of one of the gay community’s fashion icons–the late Alexander McQueen. The museum’s summer blockbuster, “Savage Beauty” isn’t just a show, it’s an experience. I now understand better why people like Sarah Jessica Parker were devastated at McQueen’s death.
There’s a quote at the beginning of the exhibit wherein the designer says it’s his mission to break all the rules but maintain tradition. His intricately constructed garments–made of flowers, feathers, shells, tartan, silk–make you a believer. A series of tartan dresses, a nod to Scottish nationalism, appealed to the Scot in me, but I liked the Asian-inspired dresses best. This one (pictured), seemingly a reinvention of a kimono or qipao, was jaw-dropping. Operatic best describes it; you’d need a serious diva to carry this off.
I also liked the variety of Dr. Seuss-like hats and headpieces designed by Philip Treacy, creator of the Princess Eugenie “fascinator” so roundly disparaged at the recent royal wedding. Savage Beauty‘s video clips, showing McQueen’s dresses as they were presented at his fashion shows, add an important dimension; it’s obvious that he was a performer first.
I haven’t been this wowed by an exhibit in a long time, and I left wondering how so many ideas can spring from one person’s mind, while the rest of us are left grasping at straws.
Savage Beauty runs through August 7, 2011, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
[...] Museum of Art): I arrived first thing Sunday morning and only had to wait in line 40 minutes. So worth it, and extra fun coming on the heels of a royal wedding and New York’s same sex marriage [...]