Comparing and Contrasting Alexander Mcqueen and Christian...

mChristine Russo Fashion Fundamentals Final Paper Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen There are many designers in the fashion industry. Few make some kind of an impact on fashion but most designers rarely have any impact at all. It is truly a once in a generation that designer comes along and completely alters the fashion universe and becomes a legend. Two examples of fashion designers that are this rare are Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. Christian Dior’s life span was before mine but his great impact on the fashion industry carries on today into my lifetime. Alexander McQueen, however is someone I have lived to see develop and become one of the greatest designers of all time. Although these two designers differ in†¦show more content†¦McQueen was openly gay at age 8 and was often teased in school by other kids. Alexander McQueen, whose real name is actually Lee Alexander McQueen, knew that he wanted to pursue a career in fashion design. At age 16 he dropped out of school and went to work at the traditional Savile Row for Anderson and Sheppard and Gieves and Hawkes. He then went to work for theatre costume makers Angels and Bermans where he learned the sharp tailoring that has become a distinct signature of his and the theatrics in his design that make them so iconic. He then traveled to Milan to work for Italian designer Romero Gigli. In 1992 he returned to London to receive his masters in Fashion Design. This led to his discovery by aristocratic style guru and former editor of Vogue, Isabella Blow, who would go on to become a lifetime friend and mentor of McQueen. Blow assisted McQueen in making all the right connections and helped him find commercial success while staying true to his artistic vision. She was the one who convinced Lee to adopt his middle name as the name of his label. Like Christian Dior, McQueen has had a huge impact on the fashion industry and created wild buzz with his designs. Although Dior had a much more classic and feminine style and McQueen’s designs were way more over the top, theatrical and edgy, these were the designs that made heads turn. McQueen’s