London's Victoria and Albert Museum's show Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, the first and largest retrospective of McQueen's work in Europe, closes on 2 August. Right now, five years after the designer’s death, there seems to be a renewed spotlight on the world in which he created. That, in his eyes at least, was the forecast of the show. The collection is one that has been celebrated for his stance on the ecological state of the world at the time: through design, he indicated that our universe is composed for figures that evolved from underwater and if the ice caps continue to dissolve, we may be going back to the origins of humanity. Each anecdote told a tale - a story that defined fashion. Part of McQueen's brilliance was his interpretation of societal events through his shows - in both the clothing he and his team created (specifically with Sarah Burton, his leading longtime head designer) and the stage on which it was presented. In it, he constructed a universe where reptilian-like creatures intertwined with underwater life forms under the glow of a sci-fi magnifying glass. His collection was titled ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ and was one of his last before his untimely passing. ‘Armadillo’ boot sketch, Plato’s Atlantis, Spring/Summer 2010 Pencil on Paper, London, 2009 Courtesy of Alexander McQueen
According to The Daily Beast, ‘Each pair of armadillos was hand-made in Italy, in an elaborate process that spanned five days and involved 30 people, using material from three suppliers and passing through three factories’. Their striking design was catapulted into the pages of fashion glossies world round while simultaneously making their pop cultural debut in Lady Gaga's music video for Bad Romance - where the boot was featured multiple times. The 30 cm high boot is an unconventional choice of footwear - perhaps why they were simply show models - but the shape and silhouette of the shoe seamlessly elongates the leg, almost presenting the shoe as a modern form of ballerina en pointe. McQueen Spring/Summer 2010 Photo by Anthea Simms We have enough reality today.’ His sentiment was clearly exemplified in the DNA of his collection and over the last five years, the reigning fantasy behind the boot has managed to become a pillar of McQueen's career. When McQueen was asked about the creation of the boot, he famously stated, ‘The world needs fantasy, not reality. Named ‘The Armadillo Boot’ and made specifically for the runway (except for a few for his friends who managed to snag a coveted pair), only a total of 21 pairs were ever created. While the clothes for his Plato’s Atlantis collection, and the innovation behind it, showed digital prints with microscopic details of animal skins, his shoes for this collection were the standout. Many would agree (and few would argue), McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2010 show was a turning point - especially in terms of footwear. While the creative community will forever be indebted to the outright romantic genius of Alexander McQueen, his visionary lens will universally be celebrated for his imaginative intuition - giving his loyal followers an idyllic fantastical narrative told through the construction and execution of his brilliant creations.
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