Alexander McQueen

Every once in a while, I see something so beautiful and so bizarre that I'm completely at a loss for words. Alexander McQueen's fall collection did that to me this year, which is why it's taken me days to figure out how to do this post. To me, McQueen's collection is an exquisite commentary on the melding of decadence and decay that has permeated world culture for decades, with the decay finally roiling its way to the surface. In McQueen's collection, you see looks that are exquisite from afar, but leave you with the distinct impression that something is wrong. It's not just the overblown, harshly drawn mouth on the model - when you look up close, you see that her hat is made of aluminum cans or bubble wrap. You see that her face is swathed in plastic wrap. You see that this fantasically beautiful look contains an element that is disturbing and revolting. Most of the collection had this visceral impact on me, and I wish I could show you every single look.

Of course, maybe I'm taking it way too seriously and it's just meant to be a giant spectacle or bratty joke, but for me this was a case of art and historical circumstances melding in a way that left me thinking about it for days.