God save McQueen

Lee Alexander McQueen was found dead in his London home on the morning of Feb. 11.  Fashion died that day. I know that is harsh to say, but in my opinion he was an amazing artist and visionary.

Of course there are other fashion designers I love just as much, but he transformed fashion and the fashion industry. I am by no means a fashionista or fashion expert in any way, but he was a well-known creative man that inspired thousands.


Committing suicide at the age of 40, it is hard to believe that a man of his stature would take his own life.  Death is a serious matter, but his death sparked more in me than just sorrow.

Yes, it made me think of life and how precious it is, but beyond that. His life was fashion, and as outrageous as his ideas were, from antlers and veils to claw-like shoes walking down the runway, he pushed the limited.


In a way he has inspired me to be more daring. His lines and designs all challenged the normalcy of fashion. But since when is there even a "normal" in fashion? I attempted to dress to the 9's in homage to the great designer. I decided to dress up more than usual.

I wore a dress, heels, a leopard coat and a bright red rose in my hair to stand out against the bleak gray winter atmosphere. Sadly, my feet in my oxford heels screamed for me to change into boots the second I walked into the melting snow outside – but it's the thought that counts right?

I know that my effort probably sounds like barely an effort at all, and not even a good one at that, but the point is that knowing that this designer and innovative artist no longer exists has made me think more about what I wear.

Fashion is never too serious, so have fun with it. It is like how people tell you to live your life because you never know how long it will last. I didn't want this to turn into anything serious about life and death, I just wanted to say that McQueen's passion for fashion and art has made me want to try harder with what I wear.

You never know what life will bring you, so go dye your that shade of blue or pink you've been too scared to because you don't want your mom to freak out, or wear those combat boots all your friends told you that they didn't think looked good even though you were dying to buy them.

Who cares? Because in the end it's your life and you should be able to do (and wear) what you want.


Not to tell you to go skydiving or go on a crazy excursion because life is short (unless you want to go do those this second, then by all means), but what I've taken from the loss of McQueen is to just have fun with fashion. Stop buying what ads and trends tell you look good and decide for yourself.


Go pull clothes out of the depths of your closet that you never wear and see if you like them. Play dress up in your own closet like you would when you were a kid. That's one of the ways that can help you decide if anything should stay or go in your closet as well.


Basically, go be daring. Dress like the world is your runway. When you get dressed in the morning ask yourself, "what would Lady Gaga wear?" – okay, maybe not. But you get what I mean. Be creative.

Try color combinations you normally wouldn't (who decided black and brown don't go together anyways?) or a style that you've been hesitant to try for a while (FYI: there are other brands to wear besides Northface, Uggs and American Apparel). Express yourself in what you wear, not what society wants.


People will stop and stare at those who stand out from the crowd when they're walking in the street, but I stop, stare and admire. I always tell myself "I wish that I had the guts to try this or to wear that."

So I guess this is my thank you to the late, great Lee Alexander McQueen. You were an amazing person and designer and have shown the fashion world things people could only dream of. You were an inspiration to many and from now I'll think twice before I throw on a lazy effort of an outfit.