From its starring role in the Duchess of Cambridge's tour wardrobe, to a forthcoming retrospective at the V&A, the McQueen brand is riding high. So how did a label known for avant-garde fashion become the duchess's go-to supplier of elegant pastel outfits?
Someone recently defined a brand as the first image that comes into your mind when you hear the name of a company. With that in mind, consider this. The three Alexander McQueen outfits that made the most front pages from the Duchess of Cambridge's recent tour wardrobe were: a sky blue belted knee-length coat, accessorised with navy round-toe suede shoes and a matching clutch bag; a demure dove grey coat with a jaunty grey hat; and a ballet-shoe pink peplum top and skirt, which the duchess wore with LK Bennett courts and pearl drop earrings. When the Savage Beauty retrospective of McQueen's work arrives at the Victoria and Albert museum next spring, on the other hand, visitors will be confronted by a black leather and aluminium corset with a spine and tail from 1997, inspired by a character from The Omen who was half-raven and half-dog; and a jellyfish dress and armadillo boots armoured with iridescent enamel sequins, which, in 2009, McQueen said predicted a future in which "the ice cap would melt the waters would rise and life on earth would have to evolve in order to live beneath the sea once more or perish."
Can the real McQueen please step forward?
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