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Death of a fashion icon
2010-02-12 02:04
If you're ever worn Gucci or Givenchy, chances are you've fallen under the spell of talented designer Alexander 'Lee' McQueen, who died on 11 February aged 40.
McQueen, who made his name as a rebellious young designer in the 90s - his most famous creation were 'bumsters' - buttock-revealing trousers - was snapped up by Givenchy in 1996 as the successor to John Galliano. Four times winner of the title British Designer of the Year, he was also rewarded at the International Fashion Designer Awards and was made a CBE.
Contracts with Gucci and Puma followed, and more recently he branched out into the world of designer perfumes with Kingdom and My Queen. By 2007 he had boutiques in London, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, and his fashions were particularly popular with singers such as Bjork, Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
News about his untimely death is still being absorbed by a shocked world of fashion, but the speculation is that he committed suicide following the death of his mother a week ago, One of his last postings to the internet contained the name of the French historical drama 'La Reine Margot', which along with cult movie 'La Haine' he cited as having been hugely influential in his work.
Peaches Geldof, the daughter of Sir Bob Geldof, chose a quotation from T.S. Eliot to sum up her memories of the designer: 'Only those who will risk going too far,' she wrote on Twitter, 'can possibly find out how far one can go.'