35 In Collaborations

The McQueen years… (part three)

Where: Paris – When: 6th October 2009 – What: Backstage at the Alexander McQueen show

Last but not least of my adventures at la casa de McQueen…
After a week working day and night for the sake of fashion with just a few distractions to keep us away from our duties (…castings, interviews, and an express visit from Anna Wintour) it was finally there…

The day of the fashion show!

9 am arrival at the studio…
Although during the first days everybody tends to make an effort to look good/presentable, on the last day nobody really cares or tries… When a shower is the minimum requirement, make up is seen as an act of bravery… It’s a miracle if we only remember our names! Beside the general exhaustion, we were all really excited as we were finally going to see our work come to life and that was priceless (or in this case sleepless).

       

Even though we worked for a week non stop it still felt like everything needed to be done… While some students were packing up the finished clothes to take to the venue I was working like crazy on the same jacket for the past 5 days with Ms Flo and it felt like it was going nowhere… We had the head of the studio Sara Burton (now creative director of the label) coming in for check up every now and then.
Along with us on the late wagon was the titanic dress, the jellyfish suit and the shipwrecked dress. By 5pm all the capable persons of the studio where requisitioned for help on those four pieces. Even if you were just passing by to ask for a pen… Well, you had to help.

   

Around 6pm we all went to the show location to continue working on our allocated pieces. Team McQueen was the first to arrived but soon we had the make up artists, hair dressers, nail technicians, catering team, models, photographers, journalists, VIPs, security guys, health and safety guys, Pr people… No need to say that it became crowded in no time.

   

The four dresses finished we were ready to dress the models. This can be a difficult task looking at the designs but it went alright. It had to. The secret of the McQueen silouhette lies in a 22 inch (it can go from 22 to 24) waist cincher (55-60cm) which helps create the hourglass shape that most models don’t have due to their small frames. From the moment all the models are dressed it goes really fast…

 
Show’s over.
On the front row everybody claps, backstage everyone hugs. Suddently the whole room is filled with love. Yes we all love each other, even if we didn’t the day before. It’s like a new beginning. We made it! From now on we can take on the world… ! Or at least that’s the general spirit.
This was the last time I saw Alexander McQueen happy, as after that show I left the team for other adventures… Sadly it was his last show too… I didn’t know back then that it was the last time I would ever saw him, otherwise I would have said something to him… not much, just: thank you.

“Clothes and and jewellery should be startling, individual. When you see a woman in my clothes, you want to know more about them. To me, that is what distinguishes good designers from bad designers.” A.Mcqueen

Watch the video of the show here

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  • Miss at la Playa
    19 July 2010 at 18 h 44 min

    wow, amazing photos! You were so lucky to attend McQueen's last show…

  • linda-mari
    20 July 2010 at 0 h 03 min

    You were so so lucky..
    http://www.linda-mari.com

  • Kelly
    20 July 2010 at 2 h 11 min

    Amazing darling! This looks so amazing. And the quote from A. Mcqueen is wonderful. How did you end up working with Alexander Mcqueen?!? .. so awesome!

    <3 Kelly

  • Sarah @ Pandora's Box
    20 July 2010 at 2 h 21 min

    These are some truly amazing photos. What a fantastic event to be part of. And I still can't get over those shoes!

  • style-haus
    20 July 2010 at 2 h 30 min

    what an absolutely incredible experience! THANK YOU for sharing these pics and documenting your experience. mcqueen was such tremendous loss to world of fashion…designers and creative geniuses like him don't come along very often.

    http://style-haus.blogspot.com/

  • Casey
    20 July 2010 at 2 h 43 min

    YAY i love mcqeen flashbacks it makes me miss his genius but i know his crazy view on fashion will live on as legend!
    great post!

    x-casey

  • Blackcowboy
    20 July 2010 at 10 h 12 min

    wow love your pictures and your blog.
    It is a real pitty that Alexander is no more!

  • Lara
    20 July 2010 at 10 h 16 min

    I just cannot get enough of these stories and pictures! Truely amazing!

  • Sarah
    20 July 2010 at 10 h 58 min

    wow, incredible shots. i'll never get over that collection! the shoes, the hair.. xxx

  • STREETFSN
    20 July 2010 at 12 h 18 min

    this is so amazing posting.
    I'm so happy to see those pics !


    http://streetfsn.com

  • ej
    20 July 2010 at 14 h 52 min

    omg i wish i had your job!!!

    i love the last picture, those shoes are art!!!!!!!!

    http://amillionloves.blogspot.com

  • CMA
    21 July 2010 at 6 h 32 min

    LOVE YOUR BLOG
    keep it up!! great inspiration
    thanks for sharing as always!

    -cma
    COSMICaroline.blogspot.com

  • LoliTa
    21 July 2010 at 8 h 08 min

    AAAAMZING! those clothes were insane, and loved all the crazy hair and alien-like faces!

  • DaisyLine
    21 July 2010 at 8 h 45 min

    great pics! but this shoes are horrible! 😛
    have a nice day!
    Daisy
    http://daisyline.blogspot.com/

  • Beckerman Girls
    21 July 2010 at 13 h 26 min

    These pics are unnnnbelievable! Thanks for sharing them, they are so special! It's funny to see all those hair braids in the bags. The models look like creatures from another world that live close to the sea!!! Love the line up pics too.Your blog is totally rockin!
    xoxo The Beckerman Girls

    http://BeckermanBitePlate.com

  • Sandra
    21 July 2010 at 15 h 42 min

    Those shoes are the ultimate shoes!! I love the white, carved platforms, there is something so Roman about them! It must have been an incredible experience! xo

    http://www.crypticsun.blogspot.com/

  • johanna
    21 July 2010 at 18 h 39 min

    your blog is awesome, take a look on mine
    http://sketchbooksix.blogspot.com/
    Maybe we can follow each other?

  • simona
    21 July 2010 at 22 h 35 min

    OOOH you're so lucky,amazing experience!
    i follow your blog on blogspot/bloglobin follow me? <3
    xx simona

    http://FASHIONUANCE.BLOGSPOT.COM

  • simona
    21 July 2010 at 22 h 37 min

    OOOH you're so lucky,amazing experience!
    i follow your blog on blogspot/bloglobin follow me? <3
    xx simona

    http://FASHIONUANCE.BLOGSPOT.COM

  • kirstyb
    22 July 2010 at 13 h 17 min

    fabulous fabulous fabulous xxxx

  • Christie
    22 July 2010 at 13 h 40 min

    amazing backstage photos! Love McQueen – so sad that he is no longer with us.

    In Fashion and Style

  • The Man from Amsterdam
    22 July 2010 at 15 h 41 min

    Love the hairdos!!

  • Nadia Simple&Funky
    22 July 2010 at 17 h 18 min

    cette collection était…démente! elle m'obsède encore, surtout les chaussures…
    tu as eu beaucoup de chance!

    bises

    Nadia

    PS: c'est toujours sympa de découvrir le blog d'une compatriote!

  • Catalina.
    22 July 2010 at 21 h 55 min

    I just wanted to tell you that reading that made me cry. I didn't want anything more in life than meeting Lee. You are very lucky you have worked with him. I'm studying Fashion Design and it was my dream to do what you did. But i will never have that opportunity 🙁 Congratulations and thank you very much for sharing those photos.
    Catalina, from Argentina.

  • Eat, Sleep, Denim
    22 July 2010 at 23 h 49 min

    You are so lucky, it looks like a ton of fun!
    Eat, Sleep, Denim <3

  • Abi-Anne
    24 July 2010 at 19 h 44 min

    This is a great post with beautiful photos. It's nice to read an insiders perspective on what the show was like. Lucky you, minus the exhaustion of course!

    http://stylebouquet.blogspot.com/

  • Stiene Saenen
    26 July 2010 at 12 h 54 min

    amazing pictures, great post! x

    http://voguesuit.blogspot.com/

  • Madiha
    26 July 2010 at 21 h 45 min

    Great coverage I am loving all the amazing looks 🙂 Great blog, Would love for you to check out my mine too! x

    MadiChic
    http://www.madichic.blogspot.com

  • Valentine
    27 July 2010 at 12 h 59 min

    Thank you all for your comments!

    @Catalina: I'm sorry if my post made you cry, I totally understand your pain. McQueen leaving came as a shock but although you didn't get to work with him at least you saw him become the great person he was… The future generations won't probably understand his art like we did….

    @Nadia: Merci…! Oui vive les blogeuses belges 😉

    @Kelly: Thanks! I sent my cv to their headoffice in London and got in for an interview.. then a second one, and then I joined the nest 😉

    Yes it was an amazing experience, for the work but also the people I met…

  • Connie
    27 July 2010 at 14 h 40 min

    The white sculptured heels are unbelievable. Fantastic post.

    The Heartbreak

  • christina of profresh style
    28 July 2010 at 18 h 58 min

    this is seriously such an amazing post. It's great to see a behind the scenes look..and for such a legend.

    great job<3.

    xx,
    Christina, IFB Moderator

  • ilovefashion
    4 August 2010 at 14 h 27 min

    amazing photos! x

  • Materialistic Chronicles
    6 August 2010 at 3 h 41 min

    incredible photos, the hair, the clothes, the shoes, everything was out of control amazing. he will be sorely missed

    http://www.materialisticchronicles.blogspot.com

  • GiaKate
    11 September 2010 at 7 h 38 min

    Hopefully I'll be doing as exciting things as you one day!
    Great posts x

    http://giakate.blogspot.com

  • Andro8
    12 February 2015 at 6 h 19 min

    Nice post . Very help ful and informatic. This is incredibly amazing, I cannot imagine the world without genius people who keep on giving the world something to be amazed about. A ful Android
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