British fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, the original creative engine behind the Alexander McQueen label, was beloved for his expert tailoring and theatrical runway shows. After his suicide in 2010, fans left tributes to the man and his talents outside Alexander McQueen boutiques worldwide. Record-breaking crowds visited the posthumous retrospective of the designer’s work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Victoria and Albert in London.
The inspirations for vintage Alexander McQueen bags, dresses, jackets and other items came from many quarters — film, music, current events, history, his heritage and fashions of the past. The designer's runway presentations were not just displays of clothing but were personal expressions of the zeitgeist, often touching on our cultural anxieties and concerns. McQueen’s own thoughts and feelings about love, death, gender, genocide, colonialism, global warming and the extinction of species all appear in his pieces.
McQueen certainly shook up fashion; he was a born Rottweiler. His upbringing on a council estate in north London played a part, but his family was close and supportive, not dysfunctional. He was proud of his Scottish heritage: He was a defiant fashion warrior. His historical themes and shows — such as “Highland Rape,” 2002, which was inspired by England’s “rape of Scotland,” as McQueen called it — always invoked powerful reactions from his audience of fashion pros.
“What you see in the work is the person himself. And my heart is in my work,” McQueen told Harper’s Bazaar in 2007.
It is perhaps this heart, and the heart’s exposure, that drew the crowds and made McQueen's creations both popular and emotionally resonant. Because the work was personal and thus layered with feeling, the motifs — decorative embellishments and fabric choices — have meaning. In other words, in McQueen’s oeuvre, plaid is more than simply a pattern.
Find vintage Alexander McQueen fashion and accessories — including the designer's coveted bags and comfortable, stretchy jersey knit dresses and gowns — on 1stDibs.
Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2002 "The Dance of the Twisted Bull" shirt
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Antwerpen, Vlaams Gewest
Enjoy this item as part of our Holiday Sale, for one week! Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2002 "The Dance of the Twisted Bull" red & white polkadot cotton shirt. A rare and iconic ...
Alexander McQueen Trompe L'oeil Lace Print Blouse 2006
By Alexander McQueen
Located in London, GB
From Alexander McQueen's twenty-eighth collection, The Widows of Culloden — staged on 3 March 2006 at Paris Fashion Week and dedicated to Isabella Blow. One of the most celebrated co...
GIANNI VERSACE Couture black silk shirt, beaded fringes F/W 1992 Bondage
By Gianni Versace Couture
Located in Rubiera, RE
GIANNI VERSACE Couture Collection "Bondage" F/W 1993 Black silk shirt with beaded fringe. Carré with gold, black and pearled beaded fringe. Silk Made in Italy Size IT 40 - US 6 Flat ...
S/S 2001 Valentino Garavani Sheer Beaded Collared Blouse
By Valentino Garavani, Valentino
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This Valentino Garavani blouse from the Spring/Summer 2001 collection is cut in a fitted silhouette with a deep plunging V neckline. It is constructed in sheer black mesh with radiat...
Jean Paul Gaultier Vintage Silk Military Fringe Top S/S 2008
By Jean Paul Gaultier
Located in Atlanta, GA
From Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection, this 100% silk embroidered fringe top perfectly captures the maison’s long-standing love affair with military dress, uniform ...
Alexander McQueen F/W 2004 Black Silk Blouse
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Paris, FR
Silk chiffon peasant blouse Alexander McQueen featuring romantic Empire waist construction in black. The design showcases gathered off-shoulder neckline with raw-edge frayed trim, cr...
SS 2008 Alexander McQueen SS 2008 shirt
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Алматинский Почтамт, KZ
Alexander McQueen SS 2008 shirt size ~S-M Shoulders: 47 cm / 18.50 in Sleeve Length: 67 cm / 26.38 in Underarm Width: 56 cm / 22.05 in Length: 78 cm / 30.71 in good condition, inside...
Alexander McQueen S/S 2002 Black Ruffled Tuxedo Shirt
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Paris, FR
From the S/S 2002 collection of Alexander McQueen, this black long-line shirt draws on the vocabulary of the formal tuxedo. A stand collar edged with gathered ruffle frames the neckl...
$496
Size: 46 (It) 10 (Us) L
See-through silk shirt with thread and beads embroideries GIANFRANCO FERRE FORMA
By Gianfranco Ferré
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
See-through silk shirt with thread and beads embroideries. Button and buttonhole closure on the middle front . Hook&eye on the cuffs. SIZE 46 (IT) 10 (US)
Roberto Cavalli shirt with rhinestone appliqué, 2004
By Roberto Cavalli
Located in New York, NY
Roberto Cavalli button-up top with rhinestone appliqué on sleeves Period – 2004 Size – XS-S Length – 67,5 cm Sleeve - 50 cm From armpit to armpit – 48 cm Waist – 84 cm Fabric ...
Alexander McQueen New Silk Top with Tulle and Lace Sleeves S/S 1999
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Water Mill, NY
An incredible grey fine silk knit top from Alexander McQueen. It is semi fitted with a crew neckline and elaborate grey net, tulle and lace layered sleeves...
Alexander McQueen New S/S 2002 Three Piece Skirt Suit with Intricate Embroidery
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Water Mill, NY
A fabulous silk/linen black skirt suit from Alexander McQueen including an additional matching white skirt. The jacket has peak lapels, a breast pocket, small shoulder padding, side...
Antique Elaborately Embroidered 1920s Silk Jacket with Fringe
Located in Water Mill, NY
This is an elaborately embroidered 1920s black silk coat, jacket covered with gorgeous, colorful embroidery of people, birds and animals, pagodas, bridges, walkways, flowers and tree...
Alessandro Dell'Acqua New Silk Top and Skirt with Bead Trim 1990s
By Alessandro Dell'Acqua
Located in Water Mill, NY
A gorgeous 2 piece fine silk knit lace top and skirt set by Alessandro Dell'Acqua. It consists of a hip length sleeveless top with sheer side panels adorned with colorful intricate ...
Les Copains Beaded Silk Top 1990s
By Les Copains
Located in Water Mill, NY
A beautiful black silk tank style top from Les Copains. it is sleeveless with a scoop neckline and covered in fine black glass seed beads with a smatt...
Jean Paul Gaultier New Silk Jacket Top 1990s
By Jean Paul Gaultier
Located in Water Mill, NY
A spectacular black silk jacket/blouse with a multitude of detail by Jean Paul Gaultier. It has a stand up collar, a V front and back yoke which along with the balloon sleeves' wide...
The designer combined his Savile Row training with his fascination with Victorian jewelry to create a most alluring piece.
A striking tartan ensemble from the late designer’s celebrated (and controversial) Fall/Winter 2006 collection is equal parts tailored and punk.
