Alexander McQueen: Fashion rebel will be missed

When he died last week at age 40, Alexander McQueen was the fashion world’s reigning provocateur. He helped elevate British fashion to the international stage with his unconventional designs. He was known for rigorously tailored jackets, second-skin leggings, gravity-defying stilettos that wrapped the foot like a lobster’s claw. His fascination with the macabre was realized in sweaters with cable knit skulls, bone headdresses and black dresses inspired by the Salem witch trials. He was a technical genius and a creative force always challenging the status quo as he juxtaposed classical beauty with the grotesque. His theatrical runway productions were often breathtakingly controversial, casting models as witches, mental patients or doomed fishermen. Celebrities were inspired by his vision — he dressed talent as diverse as Lady Gaga and Cate Blanchett. The runway shows will go on in New York, Milan and Paris over the next few weeks. But they really won’t be the same without him.