Savage Beauty - The McQueen Exhibition

Every now and then a blogger decides to write a post that’s horribly self-indulgent.  Or if you’re me twice in two months, which is why I find myself talking about an exhibition that ends in 2 weeks and is sold out.  Savage Beauty at the Victoria and Albert museum has to be one of the most incredibly well curated shows I have ever been to. 

GirlRunningLate booked our tickets back in February and it being quite some time ago I forgot about for a while, but a recent trip to The McQueen Play helped build my excitement again.  And I'm glad it did as this was an exhibition not to be missed - sorry am honestly not trying to rub it in!  

We walked in to a haunting image of McQueen’s face, atmospheric music and the voice of the man himself being interviewed.  Quotes he said dancing around the room like an agitated fly in an enclosed space.

Seeing several collections up close and personal, from 1998 all the way up to McQueen’s final collection in 2010, was a real treat.  Of the 5 rooms, only 2 had garments behind glass or in inaccessible areas. This meant that it was excruciatingly difficult to resist the urge to lean in, grab a dress and scarper asap. Conversely though I was honoured that they trusted me to get this close, literately within touching distance of his work.  So much so I didn’t even try to take a sneaky photo, it wouldn’t have done the garments justice anyway – am I fan-girling too much yet?

Those clothes..... Oh those clothes, even the simplest dress had exquisite detail.  Cotton skirts glazed so as to give a leather effect, dresses designed to provoke horror and amazement.  Which were bang on the emotions conjured each time I entered a new room.  I only wish I had gone earlier as then I could have booked a second trip...

and a third 

and a fourth

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Images ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London from this article.