silvery mermaid

photo by steven meisel

with the upcoming alexander mcqueen exhibit opening this may at the metropolitan art museum in new york....I started to think about some of his most memorable gowns. there are so many it is hard to narrow it down to just one, but I always liked the way he incorporated opulence at givenchy...for some reason, I never forget this givenchy haute couture sirene gown from spring/summer 1998....if you look closely it is a fully adorned caviar beaded liquid sheath gown with scale like silver embroidery. plus, there is an elaborate fish tail train and I love that silvery-diamond headpiece....I know that critics dismissed him at givenchy, but I love all the detail and decadence he brought to the label. I am not a huge fan of over-the-top bling, but mcqueen did it right....you can definetly see so much care and craft in his work, especially when he was at givenchy. I wonder if this dress will be in the exhibit?