Photography by Hendrik Kerstens via The New York Times

Today is a sad day in the world of fashion. Alexander McQueen, the notorious British designer, passed away at the age of forty, cutting short one of the most illustrious creative careers. He apparently committed suicide just days after his mother passed on. He was supposed to present his next women’s collection in Paris in a month.
     McQueen was a genius. He relentlessly pushed the boundaries of fashion, especially with his phantasmagoric runway presentations, shocking his audience not only by the sheer force of his imagination, but also by his willingness to engage controversial topics in the industry that is immune to seriousness. For the Fall/Winter 1995 collection, titled “Highland Rape” he reflected on the English rule of his native Scotland, sending out models in airy clothes that were shredded at the breast. For the Spring/Summer 2001 collection, McQueen tackled the behind-the-scenes tragedy of the picture-perfect model image, putting models in a reflective-glass house. It was narcissism bordering on insanity. As the finale, another glass box was presented with writer Michelle Olley, naked, her body fat, face hidden by a mask, hooked up to a life support machine and covered with moths. There has never been a more poignant commentary on image obsession in fashion, and there probably never will be.