It's been an afternoon of shock and sorrow as the news that Alexander McQueen has been found dead at at an address in Green Street, Central London filters through the grapevine.
His death is not being treated as suspicious.
The British fashion designer, known for his outrageous and extraordinary designs, and who won the British Designer of the Year four times between 1996 and 2003, was just 40 years old.
On 3 February, McQueen wrote on his Twitter page that his mother Joyce had passed away the day before, adding: "RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx."
Four days later he wrote that he had had an "awful week" but said "friends have been great", adding: "now i have to some how pull myself together".
His family said in a statement: 'On behalf of Lee McQueen's family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee's family.'
It seems in fashion we always want to be at the next destination, now. So it is that we haven't even hit August yet and some of us are already thinking ahead to what to wear in the fall. Of course, the fact that collections are shown out of sync with actual seasons doesn't help. An extreme example I'm faced with is wanting ALL of the McQueen shoe collection from S/S10 right now.
Selectism.com have been giving sneak previews of the McQueen S/S10 shoe collection, when THOSE paint splattered lovelies, will apparently also be available as trainers. Picking up on the folk-art patchwork and paint splattering seen in his recent film-presentation-as-show in Milan, the trainers seen here feature both of these themes as gorgeous detailing. Patience is, I guess, a virtue but in the wicked world of fashion it is sometimes sorely tested.
Alexander McQueen's menswear collections get more and more interesting by the season. This latest show was a clear departure in mood from his last show, 'The Queensberry Rules'.
There was still a menacing undercurrent, with vibes of tortured artist coming through, but the overall atmosphere was that of a more feminine creativity. McQueen's traditional rustic tailoring the look reminded me of some of the Italian workmen that the Sartorialist sometimes snaps.
Onto the gushing, the patchwork shirt and jacket are utterly gorgeous, and regardless of being a woman I want! Similarly the paint effect items moves the digital print trend forwards and the paint-spattered pieces deserve to become a fully-fledged DIY blogger trend.
Best worn: When (pretending) to paint the front room of your Milan apartment.
As tributes for Michael Jackson continue to pour in, Sir Paul Smith made the ultimate gesture to the late King of Pop during his closing menswear show in Paris yesterday. The British designer danced his way down the catwalk to Jackson's iconic "Thriller," together with his light-footed models. It was a happy and celebratory moment as the audience clapped and bopped along. Catch sight of grey-haired Paul getting down to MJ by clicking play on the video above - fun!
Proving that shoe obsession isn't just a girl thing, a recent Twitter debate with fellow shoe lovers on designated #shoesday (every Tuesday for the uninitiated) led me to that rare thing, a new shoe brand.
With a history steeped in the dual Italian loves of football and shoes, the Pantofola d'Oro brand includes a range of luxury sports shoes, the most interesting to me being the Cereço line. Taking the correspondent shoe a step further, the Cereço range features a half-and-half construction of distressed canvas and luxury 'only the Italians' leathers. Including crododile skin! Where to find these beauties? So far, the only UK-focused retailer I can find is online store The Corner, who include an example of the Cereço line in their range at £118. With shoes like these you can step out like an old-school Italian footballer and fell those foam rubber Nike-lovers without even moving.
Working within the confines of the grey suit Miuccia Prada played around with masculine conventions. Slashed shorts and sleeves nodded to a violent outburst against formalwear. Shoulders are very much the focus, even without jackets they were shown off in tank tops and sleeveless cardigans. Textured tops and greyscale prints conveyed the feel of newsprint.
This isn't the first catwalk show where we've seen sheer tailoring, it looks like SS10 will see lots of sharp, sheer menswear pieces on the high street.
A retro silhouette dominated the Missoni collection, it was all cuffed trousers and shirts teamed with trenches and faded denims.
Patchwork knits and David Byrne-esque tailoring carried on the throwback theme. Hints of safariwear came through in the muted palette of washed-out neutrals hinted and sherbet accents provided a delicate burst of colour.
Best worn: while being a foreign correspondent in the Sahara.
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