Vanguard visionary, high school drop-out, fashion extraordinaire, British Icon, Nature lover, eccentric, passionate, genius, inspirational; these words are not enough to depict the work and life of Alexander McQueen. Learning from the best, he started his fashion career at the age of 16 learning from the best costumiers Angels and Berman. After graduating from the Central Saint Martins Masters program class of 1944, he showed his first collection. His creativity is personified by the fusion of British style with an undeniable touch of French elegance and glimpse of arrogance and aggressiveness. A supporter of eco-fashion, a new environmentalist outlook hitting the most important runways of the world, Alexander McQueen caught on to the momentum of our degrading economy and environment. Extravagantly forward looking, he took the fashion world by surprise by rendering a trashy garbage chic the newest crave in the fashion industry. Before his tragic death, he put together a unique and memorable show inspired by the animalesque and sea creatures from Plato’s Atantis. Water was a key natural element that inspired this artist’s last piece of work that combined the vivacity of blue colors with the textures of sea creatures like fish or mermaids.

This memorable last runway show combined the high tech technology of a giant led screen, moving cameras on stage and a wild nature aesthetic combining and mixing the green tonalities of a wild flora to the luminescent patterns of the ocean’s sea creatures. Plato’s Atlantis was a powerful island known to be possibly located in the Atlantic Ocean a naval power that tragically sank into the ocean in the span of 24 hours. His collection presented a contorted story of terrestrial women morphing into sea creatures. “The models wore sculpted dresses, with computerized, digitally-enhanced prints of fantastical fish, snakes, praying mantis, moths, beetles and giant squid. Distressed metal harnesses, girdles and collars clung, crablike, in the manner of carapaces” (Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/paris-fashion-week/6267046/Paris-Fashion-Week-Alexander-McQueen.html). The models with an outer-space somewhat aggressive and dehumanized look resembled giant mermaids or jellyfish while others walked in impressively high pairs of high heel crab shoes. This technological water wonderland managed to create a pleasant and unusual fusion between a futuristic alien-like aesthetic that appeared somewhat aggressive with the refined elegances and work of precious materials and geometrically symmetrical patterns that implemented a sense of equilibrium and counter balance to the aggressive and almost sculpture like crab shoes.

The show opened with a video of a naked woman in the sand surrounded by snakes. Two robotic arm cameras on the runway. The first models presented reptilian looks in various shades of green and sand colors with golden details and large platform shoes. At a point this nature inspired colors and animals morphed into water creatures while maintaining their futuristic teased hair style and makeup.  With his forward looking, McQueen managed to combine technology, futuristic designs, opposed colors and textures in order to paint the unitary picture of a modern version of Plato’s Atlantis. In this world of reverie, “models wore masks plastered on to the bridge of their noses and their temples, giving them angular and alien-like profiles” (Source: http://o-ze.com/alexander-mcqueen-platos-atlantis/). The big budget show According to Style.com, the British designer had the idea to portray a somewhat apocalyptic endeavor symbolized by the melting and fusion of the ocean and the flora. His work of art stands for a metaphor of a potential ecological meltdown of our planet: “humankind is made up of creatures that evolved from the sea, and we may be heading back to an underwater future as the ice cap dissolves” (Source: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2010RTW-AMCQUEEN).  This strong statement reminds us, that as we are embracing computers, new technologies and the continuous desire to move forward, we need to connect on a human and spiritual level with nature before it is too late. Water is a crucial pillar to the survival of the human race, a source of life, following us through the course of history. Alexander McQueen was a visionary, an artist that continues to live today in the hearts of all. His apocalyptic last vision personified his great sense of style and genius creativity should be taken with a glimpse of philosophy to makes us reflect on the future of our nature.