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 Cream Molten Wool Coat with Gold Embroidery, FW 2001
By Alexander McQueen
Located in London, GB
▪ Brand: Alexander McQueen ▪ Creative Director: Lee McQueen ▪ Collection: What a Merry-Go-Round, Fall-Winter 2001 ▪ Fabric: Wool ▪ Size: IT40 - FR36 - UK8 - US4 (Sizing Runs Large) ▪...
Alexander McQueen embroidered tailored 'Sarabande' jacket, c. 2007
By Alexander McQueen
Located in London, GB
An Alexander McQueen tailored embroidered jacket from the 'SARABANDE' collection, Spring/Summer 2007. The jacket has scalloped edges with pleated trimmings throughout and black floral embroidery. French 40 - UK 12 - Italian 44 - Medium About the collection... "The inspiration is Handel’s Sarabande of the title – a majestic and elegant dance – the portraits of Goya, the turn of the century exotic and socialite Marchesa Luisa Casati and garden flowers. As always, there is a melancholic undertone: faded flowers are trapped in chiffon and lace, ruffled skirts constructed out of tiers of delicate petals and prints are botanical – brightly coloured birds and blooms, scattering swallows and winding stems of leaves. Show pieces include a dress made entirely out of frozen flowers. Tailoring is this time more fluid than it has been and clothing indebted to horsemanship is worn with finely worked, oversized pirate shirts...
Dolce & Gabbana ivory silk hand-painted kimono dress coat, fw 1998
By Dolce & Gabbana
Located in London, GB
▪ Dolce & Gabbana ivory kimono dress coat ▪ 65% Silk, 35% Nylon ▪ Hand-painted design of flowers and birds ▪ Black silk lining ▪ IT 44 - FR 40 - UK 12 ...
Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld cream mohair wool coat and dress ensemble, fw 1998
By Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Chanel
Located in London, GB
▪ Chanel cream mohair wool coat and dress ensemble ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Oversized open-front coat with matching belt ▪ Large notched lapels ▪ Built-in shoulder pads ▪ ...
Alexander McQueen dusty pink wool skirt suit with lace inserts, ss 1999
By Alexander McQueen
Located in London, GB
Alexander McQueen dusty pink wool skirt suit with lace inserts on the front and back of the jacket reflecting details from the runway show. The skirt features two deep slits at the f...
Givenchy by Alexander McQueen beige angora wool and shearling coat, c. 1999-2001
By Alexander McQueen, Givenchy
Located in London, GB
▪ Givenchy beige maxi coat ▪ Designed by Alexander McQueen ▪ Large shearling collar and cuffs ▪ Double breasted ▪ Center pleat to the back ▪ 65% Angora...
Vintage Gucci F/W 2003 White Angora & Silk Maxi Coat
By Gucci
Located in London, GB
Vintage Tom Ford for Gucci Fall Winter 2003 white wool coat. As seen on the runway, look 1 opening the show. Features oversize shawl collar able to be worn up or down, two oversized...
MOSCHINO Off White Embroidered Stretch Skirt Suit Size 12
By Moschino
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This Moschino skirt suit is composed of an off white stretch knit blend with embroidery and top-stitch details. The jacket features center front button closures and the classic penc...
Vintage Tom Ford x Gucci FW 2003 White Wool Cashmere Archive Coat It 42 - US 6
By Gucci, Tom Ford for Gucci
Located in Montgomery, TX
Tom Ford for Gucci FW 2003 Military Wool & Cashmere Coat An increasingly scarce example from one of fashion’s most influential collections. Expertly tailored in a luxurious blen...
White jacquard cotton coat and skirt ensemble Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacob
By Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs
Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR
White jacquard cotton coat and skirt ensemble. Double breasted coat close with snap ( covered with fabric) Belt in gros-grain. Skirt close on the left side with zip, gros-grain bow i...
Lifetime Gianni Versace Couture 1990's Ivory Wool Coat with Leather Trim
By Gianni Versace Couture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lifetime 1990's Gianni Versace Couture soft ivory wool overcoat. This chic and edgy medium weight coat has peak lapels that are punctuated with leather laser-cut serrated leather tri...
GIVENCHY Couture A/W 1999 ALEXANDER McQUEEN Ivory Floral Lace Princess Coat
By Alexander McQueen, Givenchy
Located in Thiensville, WI
GIVENCHY Couture A/W 1999 ALEXANDER McQUEEN Ivory Floral Lace Princess Coat Brand / Manufacturer: Givenchy Couture Collection: A/W 1999 Designer: Alexander McQueen Style: Princess ...
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.
