In his 1997 Givenchy collection, he has used a very unusual type of eye make-up, rather like cats, and he also used sheer transparent printed materials in a Chinoiserie manner.

In his 1998 show, a disabled model, who has two false legs, wore his dresses, and looked beautiful in them.

In the Spring 1999 show, the models and dresses were all sprayed with paint. It caused rather an uproar.

At the end of 1999, Alexander McQueen opened his first store in London, at Conduit Street, near the Japanese designers.

The MCQUEEN STYLE

Alexander McQueen's collections for Givenchy have included golden eagles embroidered by Lesage, rose petals pressed into sheer organdie, pure gold material woven for a bolero jacket, feathers painstakingly layered like a bird's wing onto a catsuit and other unique weird styles. But he has not forgotten that he must play the Givenchy game, if he is to succeed.

At the end of the day, Givenchy is 200 million light years away from what he does at McQueen. One is London, the other Paris.

He says " It is two different aesthetics and it is hard to be both at the same time. McQueen is about our times and Givency is about allure, femininity, aloofness and seduction. They do not employ me to do bumsters."

McQueen's view of French fashion is frank "What is missing is French chic, I''ll bring French chic to Paris. I like about 25 % of what Givenchy did, I look back at it and think - move on This is about showing people that I can do a beautiful collection, that I don't have to shock people all the time. Paris couture started with WORTH who was English and it will begin again with Alexander McQueen who is English too."

He has managed to continue to design in his funky, youthful modern manner at his own house of McQueen while also producting the elegant, expensive, beautiful creations at Givenchy. This takes a real effort, but so far he is succeeding. He will probably get better as he gains more experience even though these two houses are so different.

McQueen himself has said, that he would not accept any financial share-holding in his own McQueen label company. He says that this wholly owned company would enable him to continue to design unusual, radical, cutting-edge clothes, which might not be acceptable at a well-established house like Givenchy. He wants to be able to put out into the market, his own unique and unusual ideas, without any restrictions.

In the year 2000, Alexander McQueen suddenly left Givenchy. He is continuing to design clothes under his own label. His replacement at Givenchy is British designer Julien MacDonald.

Alexander McQueen opened his first American showroom in New York in September 2002. Here is a picture of it.

Spring/Summer 2003

Alexander McQueen presented his Spring/Summer 2003 collection during Paris Fashion Week in October 2002 which was very well received. This is an outfit from that collection.

McQueen has shed 30 pounds in weight, and also shed his bad boy image. The most shocking thing about his show, was the old-fashioned romance and solid commercial appeal. He had floaty dresses in vibrant colours, with creamy ruffles and micro-shorts with flowing coats. There was none of the usual anger and aggression. He has really grown up.

Fall/Winter 2003

Alexander McQueen presented his Fall collection during Paris Fashion Week in March 2003.

It also happened to be his 34th birthday, and he celebrated with a wonderful party which was also for the introduction of his new perfume KINGDOM. He must also be happy that Karl Lagerfeld, in the April edition of Vogue, mentioned that McQueen was a very good designer. Praise indeed.

McQueen's inspiration for this collection was Tibet with snowy shearling parkas, Eurasian ethnic prints, reminding us of a nomadic journey across the tundra. His clothes were embroidered, painted and embellished to look like Samurai armour, Russian dolls and tribal ceremonial dress. He even had a fake snowstorm. It was tremendously creative as always.

Spring/Summer 2004

During Paris Fashion Week in October 2003, Alexander McQueen showed his collection for next Spring. A dress from this collection is shown on the right.

His show was an exuberant hilarious dancehall involving dancers, models and the audience. Everyone was dancing on the arms of sailors, dressed in fishtailed silver lame, cha-cha dresses and gowns with spangled bodices and huge feathered skirts. The climax was when one dancer in a silver sequined gown expires on stage and is carried off by MacQueen himself to thunderous applause.

He turns down YSL

In February 2004, Alexander was offered YSL Rive Gauche after Tom Ford leaves, but he has declined the job as he wants to concentrate on his own label.

Fall/Winter 2004 ready-to-wear

Alexander McQueen presented his own label Fall collection in Paris during Fashion Week in March 2004. On the left is an outfit from the show. His intention this season, he said, was to strip away all theatrics and focus purely on design. His show looked like a kind of rebirth. He sent out a parade of nude-coloured outfits in tweed, double-faced cashmere, leather, suede, jersey and chiffon pared down to familiar shapes of jumpsuits, hourglass coats, and nipped-waist suits.

Black Night

 To celebrate five years of the American Express Centurion Card, Alexander McQueen put on a "Black" Fashion show at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in Central London on June 3rd, 2004. A picture from the show is shown on the right.

Spring/Summer 2005
Ready-to-Wear

During Paris Fashion Week in October 2004, Alexander McQueen showed his own collection for next Spring. An outfit from this collection is shown on the left.

His inspiration was a chessboard, and he used it to show 36 looks from his past collections. He reviewed all his greatest moments from sharp tail coats, Japanese kimonos, sci-fi bodysuits, moulded corsets and flounced skirts. They looked even better the second time around.

Autumn/Winter 2005

Alexander's Autumn/Winter collection was shown during Paris Fashion Week in March 2005. He put out a market friendly collection of gripping jackets and hobbling skirts, patterned knits, pompons and ponchos which reminded of Peru. It was essentially retro, powerful in its vision of Hollywood as part of the past. The precise cutting of suits, coats and day dresses went back to the glamour of the gowns in an era when women's sensuality was the most important thing.

Spring/Summer 2006
Paris Fashion Week

Alexander presented his Spring/Summer 2006 collection during Paris Fashion Week in October 2005. An outfit from the collection is shown on the left. It consists of grey cuffed shorts (so popular this season) with a matching jacket over a white blouse. The model is wearing gladiator sandals.

Alexander has changed from the designer who scared and shocked his audience. He sends out his models in orderly fashion, so that we can see the clothes he has designed. His black suits, beautifully tailored as always, have lost their exaggerated waists and jutting shoulder, they are now much more wearable. Spencer jackets with button-down lapels, short flippy skirts and shorts with a girl-rocker look about them, appeared. His evening gowns had the look of Greek goddesses. However a little of the old McQueen appeared in fantasy gowns with metalwork bodices, rather like eighties sci-fi TV programmes.

Alexander McQueen new McQ line

This is Alexander's new younger, less costly line, made up of jeans, T-shirts, minis, knitwear and everything young people love to wear. It should be on sale next Summer.

2003 Kingdom (W)
2004 Kingdom (M)
2005 My Queen (W)



2005