In Memory Of L'Enfant Terrible..

McQueen in one of my favorite images: Throwing support Kate Moss' way after her little sniffy incident in 2005. (ph:courtesy Sydney Morning Herald)

The unfortunate and untimely death of Alexander McQueen is a double whammy hit for me as remember, I first started out as a fashion designer long before I ever knew that I would become a makeup artist....I remember that McQueen was in his mid-20's not far off from my own age when I first starting hearing the buzz surrounding has name circa '94-'95. I myself was still in design school overseas but miles away from the epicenter that was Central St. Martins. My favorite schools of thought when it came to clothing design in no particular order were: The Antwerp Six, Cristobal Balenciaga, Westwood, Isabel Toledo, Galliano and of course Alexander McQueen. Fashion was so different then, as was McQueen in those moments. He was an oasis in the desert of mostly banal 90's minimalistic clothing. I coveted his signature bumsters from the moment I saw them even more than I had yearned for my pair of beloved 'Tabi Boots' from Margiela. (Finally, pants to fit women that were shaped like me in the hips). To say that the fashion world has lost a creative genius and one of the best visonaries who ever lived this century is a bit of an understatement...Below, to remember the man who called 'bullsh*t' on the existing fashion establishment and known by his friends as Lee, and to pay homage to an amazing showman, I will compile my top 5 favorite McQueen fashion moments and memories (which mind you, is no easy feat)...

5. Plato's Atalantis: What was to be his last show; self explanatory but not the usual typical amazing. McQueen outdid himself here: styling, hair, special effects makeup and those SHOES!!!!

4. Bjork's Alarm Call video and Homogenic cover:

3. The Kate Moss Hologram- It wasn't just me; We all thought that Kate was in that damn box, especially since no one saw her backstage in hair & makeup.

2. Shalom Harlow closing out his S/S 1999 collection being spraypainted by car robots. Here McQueen yet again displays his absolute sheer and utter genius; Shalom, in one of her greatest moments as a model in Creating the Art Piece:

I may still have the WWD that covered this show...*(note to self, check the archive and look)

AND

1. McQueen was the only person to ever make me wish that I was an amputee that had prosthetic legs: When he sent double amputee model Aimee Mullins down the runway for his couture collection in '98 with a pair of custom carved prosthetic legs, I DIED and went to some sort of a mid-heaven. When I first saw them, I swore that they were knee high boots...I actually still have the issue of Dazed & Confused that was shot by Nick Knight where she graced the cover and McQueen was the Guest Editor...

left: ph: L.Woolnaugh/AP

For more amazing McQueen moments and an amazing article that does more justice than my blogpost ever could head here.

McQueen as a svelte blonde with the late, great, amazing, Isabella Blow (ph:DBenett/GettyImages)...