Bold and beautiful

Designer Nida Mahmood on the flamboyant genius of Alexander McQueen
I was in first year of college at National Institute of Fashion Technology NIFT when I first came across the dramatic,beautifully constructed creations of the British fashion designer,Lee Alexander McQueen. I was 18 then,and his creations really appealed to me and I thought his concepts were really cool.

I was in complete awe of him and his designs. It was very interesting to see how he created fabulous collections out of extremely simple ideas. His creations stood out because he had this quality of mixing textures,materials and fabrics together. He was also inspiring for the way he was so dramatically,flamboyantly different. Yet,as shocking as some of his trends seemed when they first hit the ramp,they soon became wildly popular trends. For instance,the low-slung waists you still see on any teenager in jeans can be traced back to the bumsters in his 1993 show.
Even though over the years,my design sensibilities have changed and I have my own individual style,I still feel inspired by this particular quality of his. McQueen was known for his wacky,rebellious designs. His untimely death early this year was very sad. I never had the opportunity to meet him,unfortunately.