The Death of an Icon: Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen was an English fashion designer known for his unconventional designs and shock tactics. McQueen's dramatic designs, worn by celebrities including Rihanna, Björk and Lady Gaga, met with critical acclaim and earned him the British Designer of the Year award four times. McQueen's early runway collections developed his reputation for controversy and shock tactics (earning the title "l'enfant terrible" and "the hooligan of English fashion"),with trousers aptly named "bumsters" and a collection entitled "Highland Rape".[1][14][15] McQueen was known for his lavish, unconventional, runway shows, such as a recreation of a shipwreck for his spring 2003 collection, spring 2005's human chess game and his fall 2006 show, "Widows of Culloden" which featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss dressed in yards of rippling fabric. McQueen has been credited with bringing drama and extravagance to the catwalk He used new technology and innovation to add a different twist to his shows and often shocked and surprised audiences. The silhouettes that he created have been credited for adding a sense of fantasy and rebellion to fashion. McQueen became one of the first designers to use Indian models in London.ome of McQueen's accomplishments included being one of the youngest designers to achieve the title "British Designer of the Year", which he won four times between 1996 and 2003. He was also awarded the CBE and named International Designer of the Year at the Council of Fashion Designer Awards. December 2000 saw a new partnership for McQueen, with the Gucci Group acquiring 51% of his company and McQueen serving as Creative Director. Plans for expansion included the opening of stores in London, Milan and New York, and the launch of his perfumes Kingdom and, most recently, My Queen. In 2005 McQueen collaborated with Puma to create a special line of trainers for the shoe brand. McQueen became the first designer to participate in MAC's promotion of cosmetic releases created by fashion designers. The collection, McQueen, was released on 11 October 2007 and reflected the looks used on the Autumn/Winter McQueen catwalk. The inspiration for the collection was the Elizabeth Taylor movie Cleopatra, and thus the models sported intense blue, green, and teal eyes with strong black liner extended Egyptian-style. McQueen handpicked the makeup.

McQueen's death was announced on the afternoon of 11 February 2010. He was found dead that morning by his housekeeper at his home on Green Street, London W1. Paramedics were called; they pronounced him dead at the scene.

Here are some of his best works and some of the people seen in is magnificently extravagant designs