Dante 5054 By Robert Fairer
Gold military-style braiding adorns an asymmetrical wool and cashmere matador-style tailcoat, the collar embellished with 14 karat gold insignia. The intricate detailing and padded shoulders embody Alexander McQueen’s celebration of feminine beauty and strength, his work transforming fashion into fine art.
McQueen created only three such Dante jackets, one sold at Liberty Department store in London, another owned by Isabella Blow. The third is expected to fetch $150,000 when it goes on auction along with 22 other rare pieces owned by Ruti Danan, a former McQueen studio member who designs couture pieces for premieres, galas, private views, and other high-profile events.
Ruti recalls arriving at McQueen’s studio one morning to find this jacket, created overnight by the legendary designer and fine artist, alongside construction patterns and templates for the gold work braiding.
Alexander McQueen: Off the Runway, a pop-up installation organized by RR Auction and curated by Danan and Alexander McQueen archivist and @McQueen_Vault account creator John Matheson, will be on view from February 15-17 at the New York Historical Society.
Danan’s collection of rare McQueen works from 1994 to 1996 features original catwalk designs, from his outlandish “bumsters,” extremely low-cut trousers which reveal part of the buttocks, and audacious selections from Highland Rape, the most controversial runway show of McQueen’s early career.
Highland Rape 5020.2 By Robert Fairer
McQueen was inspired by the July 1385 English invasion of Scotland, which he referred to as the “Highland Rape.” King Richard II led an English army into Scotland, partly in retaliation for Scottish border raids, but mostly provoked by the arrival of a French army into Scotland the previous summer. Some critics, who mistook McQueen’s ferocity and audacity as hatred toward women, claimed it was about women being raped. McQueen’s style was intended to subvert Scottish romanticism, a theme lost on those who fail to grasp his genius and seek only literary interpretation of art that’s as resolute as it is beautiful.
Highland Rape 5026.2 By Robert Fairer
French visual artist Ann Ray, also known as Anne Deniau, a dear friend of McQueen who devoted 13 years to meticulously photographing McQueen and his inner circle, described him as a gentle giant who adored and cared for all women in his life.
Highland Rape 5014 By Robert Fairer
The auction includes other works from the 1996 Dante show in a candle-lit church in Spitalfields, London, where a skeleton joined front-row attendees. The far-reaching and groundbreaking collection dabbled in denim and Victoriana, items or material from the Victorian period (1837–1901), which would weave their way into masterpieces throughout McQueen’s short but prolific career.
Lee Alexander McQueen, as he was known to Ray, was a consummate fine artist who leaves an enduring legacy and timeless works of art that inspire awe in museums, long after shocking and confounding fashion show audiences around the world. While his brazen work delves deeply into darkness, the man himself was in constant pursuit of pleasing and comforting those around him. His prepossessing artworks provide an indulgent escape into twisted and tender fantasy.
McQueen was wildly misunderstood and misrepresented, despite his widespread fame and recognition. His art demonstrates a passion for women, as his models become storytellers of a vision that transcends time and style. Remembered by close friends as a loving, compassionate man and a tireless artist, McQueen is often mired in a fabricated larger-than-life persona of a miserable, tortured soul.
