Alexander McQueen: Working Process: Photographs

The year is 2008. The mission is to create a photo journal/diary of the 45 days that lead up to the March catwalk show for the Fall 2009 collection of Alexander McQueen in Paris. It was an oddly prescient happening as this would be the last Fall collection that Mr. McQueen would show before his untimely death.

As if he could sense the gravity and enormity of the occasion in terms of his oeuvre, he commissioned and turned over the reins to photographer Nick Waplington to record the event, granting him full access to the lead up process during that 45 days.

The show was titled the Horn of Plenty and many of the images are arresting, a testament to the genius of Alexander McQueen.

What is very clear about this photo journal is that the designer had assembled a team of creators who were members of a family, and they were all totally dedicated to McQueen. The joy and loyalty is almost palpable while the brilliance of the creations themselves is highlighted.

“Working mostly in silence . . . they circled the man at the center of it all, demonstrating a level of sensitivity and intuition reminiscent of main player in an improvised dance. Scissors, tape, and pins were passed to McQueen almost before he was aware that he needed them.”

Susannah Frankel’s text is just as beautiful; unobtrusive and insightful it is an examination and explanation of that 45-day period as well as the family dynamic at work. Some readers will be exhilarated and transported to the moment via the energies and talents that are exposed while others will experience the melancholy that accompanies knowing the legacy that was left behind in the able hands of Sarah Burton.

The Fall 2009 collection was one of the designer’s most recognizable and notable. If there is anyone who has never heard of Alexander McQueen or conversely is an aficionado or fan of the designer, Alexander McQueen: Working Process is a photographic gem.