{ of angels and demons }

two days ago, i talked about how giddy the beginning of fashion week felt. sadly, that jubilant mood was short-lived. yesterday's tragic, untimely death of alexander mcqueen cast a pall over the proceedings.

odd as it may sound, the news hit me like an ambien. mind in shock, my reaction was entirely physical; i felt immediately depleted ~ all strength sucked dry.

these days, fashion is all commerce. though i don't talk about it much, that's why a traditional design career didn't quite work for me. i quickly tired of churning out the predictable products (no matter how lovely) that stores expected every season. anything genuinely creative was unfailingly declared 'unsaleable'. intellectually, this is understandable, but emotionally ~ to an artistic temperament ~ it can be crushing.

certainly, some designers are able to align their limitless imaginations with retailers' restraints. alber elbaz at lanvin comes to mind ~ he writes poetry with his clothes, and yet women clamber to buy up every piece. unfortunately, the careers of many other talented designers ~ like olivier theyskens ~ have suffered for an inability to master this balance. so often one's vision must be watered-down to be accepted, but alexander mcqueen seemed mightier than this convention.

i shudder to re-read sarah mower's review of his monumental fall 2009 collection: " alexander mcqueen may be the last designer standing who is brave or foolhardy enough to present a collection that is an unadulterated piece of hard and ballsy showmanship."

we have lost someone ~ and something ~ utterly irreplaceable.

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