Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin - Hardcover

Wilson, Professor Of The Archaeology Of The Roman Empire Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1476776733 ISBN 13: 9781476776736

Publisher: Scribner Book Company, 2015

Synopsis

The first definitive biography of the iconic, notoriously private British fashion designer Alexander McQueen explores the connections between his dark work and even darker life.

When forty-year-old Alexander McQueen committed suicide in February 2010, a shocked world mourned the loss. McQueen had risen from humble beginnings as the son of an East London taxi driver to scale the heights of fame, fortune, and glamour. He designed clothes for the world's most beautiful women and royalty, most famously the Duchess of Cambridge, who wore a McQueen dress on her wedding day. He created a multimillion-dollar luxury brand that became a favorite with celebrities including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

But behind the confident facade and bad-boy image, lay a sensitive soul who struggled to survive in the ruthless world of fashion. As the pressures of work intensified, McQueen became increasingly dependent on the drugs that contributed to his tragic end. Meanwhile, in his private life, his failure to find lasting love in a string of boyfriends only added to his despair. And then there were the dark secrets that haunted his sleep...

A modern-day fairy tale infused with the darkness of a Greek tragedy, Alexander McQueen tells the complete sensational story, and includes never-before-seen photos. Those closest to the designer--his family, friends, and lovers--have spoken for the first time about the man they knew, a fragmented individual, a lost boy who battled to gain entry into a world that ultimately destroyed him.

"There's blood beneath every layer of skin," McQueen once said. Andrew Wilson's biography, filled with groundbreaking material, dispels myths, corrects inaccuracies, and offers new insights into McQueen's private life and the source of his creative genius.

About this title

Review:

'Explores the source of the fashion designer's genius and the links between his dark work and troubled personal life.' Irish Times

'McQueen's story is almost mythical. It has all the elements of Icarus - he flew too close to the sun and was burned by his aspirations.' Grazia 'The Alexander McQueen fashion house has been accused of distancing itself from the dark genius of its founder after biographies of him were banned from an exhibition of his work. In an interview with The Times Magazine, Wilson said "the company that bears Lee's name and now an international brand did not want to co-operate with the book."' -- The Times T2

'McQueen defied the expectations of his birth, only to be hunted down by personal demons.' The Times

'Wilson's insights offer a sensitive take on a troubled soul: from difficult beginnings in a working class family and childhood abuse at the hands of his violent-tempered brother-in-law to his prodigious talent and A-list lifestyle, hampered by depression.' -- The Times

'Wilson is the first biographer to have enjoyed the 'blessing and cooperation of the McQueen family'. His narrative interweaves scores of testimonials from former colleagues, students, friends, fellow-clubbers and sexual partners... [it] remind[s] us that McQueen s extraordinary imagination, though clouded with melancholy and spiked with savagery, changed the way we look at fashion for ever' Financial Times

'Andrew Wilson's heartbreaking biography of McQueen takes an unflinching look at the personal price McQueen paid for this supposed poetry. This seems like a fan's book at first glance written 'with the support of the McQueen family' but it's a wonderfully readable and well-researched account.' The Telegraph

'This is a deeply intelligent, fascinating book, full of insights and perceptions, and I suspect the fashion insiders won't get it because of its unflattering portrayal of their bitchy world. But everyone else will. McQueen has got in Wilson the biographer he deserves.' The Independent

'Andrew Wilson's heart-breaking biography of McQueen takes an unflinching look at the personal price McQueen paid for this supposed poetry.' -- Daily Telegraph

About the Author:

Andrew Wilson is an award-winning journalist and author. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Sunday Times, and the Smithsonian Magazine. He is the author of four acclaimed biographies, a book about the survivors of the Titanic, and the novels, The Lying Tongue, A Talent for Murder, and A Different Kind of Evil.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1476776733
• ISBN 13: 9781476776736
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 367