Alexander McQueen Fall 2010

In a poignant presentation that left nary a dry eye in the gilded salon of luxury titan Francois Pinault’s Paris headquarters, Alexander Lee McQueen’s final 16 works of art (of which 80 percent were completed prior to his death) were unveiled to members of the press. It was a sight that truly underscored just how high the late designer had scaled in the heights of couture accomplishment. The show notes were simple yet all-encompassing: “Each piece is unique, as was he.”

And so began, those simple words, the beginning of finality at McQueen (the label has yet to reveal any significant design helm changes). The 16 showpieces that paraded slowly through were all cut “on the stand” by McQueen in the weeks before he took his suicide. Turning away from the Internet, he went completely counter to his digital-dazzler of a show last season, this time refocusing his efforts on the true art of hand craftsmanship. But even with that he took it up to the nth degree. Finding light and beauty in the art of the Dark Ages, McQueen’s inspirations ranged from Byzantine art and Old Master paintings to the carvings of Grinling Gibbons, and each look was worn with a bronzed cap, some spiked with a Mohawk of gilded leaves like a Roman war helmet. Prints were woven onto fabrics that were first digitally captured.

The draping and cutting were simply stupendous beyond words. Poetic and emotional yet restrained and demure, a floor-length black gown was a standout. The skirt swept of couture satin caught in curtain folds at the hip and the bodice was paved in golden rococo swirls while the sleeves burst into three-dimensional embroideries for the “Avatar” age. The bandage-bound heads recalled, for some, the designer’s rebellious background and his Asylum collection.

In the end, while a larger venue and an even larger audience could have paid respect to McQueen and his true rock star status, the intimate quarters allowed McQueen’s spirit and poignancy to reign supreme.

Go to jump page for remaining images of all 16 looks.