Alexander McQueen: The Life and the Legacy

Judith Watt, a leading fashion historian and close personal friend of her brilliant, tragic subject, offers a close-up backstage look at the life, legacy, and visionary genius of Alexander McQueen.  From his East London childhood to his explosive, game-changing fashion career to his shocking suicide at the age of forty, Watt’s Alexander McQueen features revealing commentary and intimate perspectives by those who were closest to the fearless, groundbreaking designer—including milliner Philip Treacy, stylist Katy England, photographer Nick Knight, as well as friends and collectors Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga, and Daphne Guiness—and stunning, photographs, many never before seen, of some of his most remarkable designs and intricate apparel.
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An intimate and revealing look at the personal and professional life of the fashion world's most visionary designer.

This incredible volume strips away the layers of legend surrounding Alexander McQueen, revealing the sartorial genius and the true history of the man who reinvented modern fashion. Uncovering new details about Lee Alexander McQueen's humble childhood in East London, author Judith Watt traces the young designer's ascent—from his graduate collection at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design to his over-the-top runway shows to the designs he created just days before his death at age forty. Providing new insights into the dark passion and inspiration that guided each fever-pitched runway show, this fully illustrated portrait delivers a truly comprehensive, in-depth look at the most provocative designer of a generation. Illustrated throughout with McQueen's personal drawings and ephemera as well as a mixture of exquisite catwalk and editorial fashion images, Alexander McQueen: The Life and the Legacy is every bit as stunning as the designer himself.

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“A loving look at the man and the clothing that captivated trend-setters from Sarah Jessica Parker to Lady Gaga.” - Detroit Free Press

“An in-depth, critical examination of McQueen as both a genius mind and wildly talented designer. In short, reading Watt’s book feels equivalent to taking a semester-long lecture class--An incredibly interesting and inspiring course taught by the very best of teacher’s in the field.” - Nylon Magazine