The Best Alexander McQueen Documentary and Books to Read
The Best Alexander McQueen Documentary and Books to Read
The best film on Lee Alexander McQueen, founder of Alexander McQueen, is the 2018 documentary McQueen, directed by Ian Bonhôte and written and co-directed by Peter Ettedgui. The best books are Andrew Wilson’s biography Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin (2015), Dana Thomas’s Gods and Kings (2015), and the Savage Beauty exhibition catalogue from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2011). Together they cover the man, the business and the work. For a shorter start, read his life and legacy and who the house is today.
The documentary: McQueen (2018)
McQueen premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 22 April 2018 and was released in UK cinemas that June. It tells his story through home movies, photographs and runway footage, with new interviews with people close to him, and it is organised around his shows. It does not shy away from the difficult parts of his life. Watch it alongside our guide to the most famous McQueen shows.
The books
- Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin, Andrew Wilson (2015): the full biography, from Lewisham to Givenchy and his own house.
- Gods and Kings, Dana Thomas (2015): the rise of McQueen and John Galliano side by side, and the business of fashion around them; pairs well with McQueen at Givenchy.
- Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011): the catalogue of the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, the best visual record of the runway work.
Where to see the work
The Savage Beauty exhibitions at the Met in 2011 and the V&A in 2015 have closed, but the catalogue keeps them in print. The clothes themselves are the other record: the bumster, the corset and the skull are all in the current collection. Read about the bumster and the skull.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Alexander McQueen documentary?
Yes. McQueen (2018), directed by Ian Bonhôte and written and co-directed by Peter Ettedgui, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 22 April 2018.
What is the best book about Alexander McQueen?
Andrew Wilson’s Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin (2015) is the full biography. For the clothes, the Savage Beauty catalogue from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2011) is the best visual record.
What is Gods and Kings about?
Dana Thomas’s Gods and Kings (2015) follows the careers of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano side by side, and the fashion business that shaped them.
Is the Savage Beauty exhibition still on?
No. It ran at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011 and at the V&A in London in 2015. The exhibition catalogue is still the best record of it.
Shop the house today on the Alexander McQueen page.
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