McQUEEN (15)
BORN and raised in the London borough of Stratford, Lee Alexander McQueen was a tortured genius of working class origins, who challenged the fashion establishment with his catwalk shows influenced by death, depravity and violence.
He was a defiantly original yet heart-breakingly fragile voice in a rarefied world that didn’t always understand or appreciate his bold ambitions.
Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui’s lavishly designed documentary charts the rise of the openly gay trailblazer from his awkward teenage years, through an enduring friendship with mentor Isabella Blow (she persuaded him to trade under his middle name) and a controversial appointment as lead designer of Parisian fashion house Givenchy.
Archive footage and recollections from mentors are intermingled with the designer’s personal testimony about his craft and a penchant for shocking his audience.
Key collections and catwalk shows are meticulously dissected including the 1999 ready-to-wear collection which culminated in model Shalom Harlow posing on a revolving platform as two robot arms sprayed her strapless white dress with streaks of yellow, green and black paint.
“If you want to know me, just look at my work,” says the designer late in the film.
The documentary respectfully and reverentially honours his wish.