A Queen Within

Yesterday I was able to experience one of my first fashion exhibits. For the time being, an Alexander McQueen inspired exhibition is displayed at the Chess Hall of Fame. For something that wonderful to be here in St. Louis is such an amazing thing. I guess being the chess capital of America has its benefits.

Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed (except in secret, shh!). The upside to this allowed me to focus more on the beautiful designs in person, rather than looking at them through a phone screen. Some pictures can be viewed on various website articles which will be linked below.

Now, more about the fashion.  There were several gorgeous Alexander McQueen dresses in addition to various other designers from Europe, North America, and Asia. I would guess that the two floored exhibit contained roughly 60 different pieces. The first floor contained the "Sage", "Mother Figure", "Magician", "Enchantress", "Explorer", and "Ruler". While I can't go into abundant detail about each and every archetype (or this post would run on for ages) I will say that my favorite was the "Sage" collection. If my memory serves, all or almost all of these dresses were by Alexander McQueen. I had to resist touching each one because their beauty was irresistible! The designs were the most average and wearable, per say, of the entire collection. Although you don't see someone wearing a Salem Witch trial inspired gown on the Red Carpet, the structures of these garments were friendlier to an unperceiving eye.

 

The second floor was home to the "Mother Earth", "Heroine", and "Thespian" sections. Once up the stairs, I was greeted by a small collection of photos from the backstage of fashion shows (McQueen's most likely). I found each archetype on this floor to be more guarded than the first. There were barriers blocking people from getting up close and personal with the garments and the "Heroine" and "Thespian" had glass casing. However, the beauty was still appreciated from afar. The only Alexander McQueen piece on this floor was a short military style jacket and it was definitely a favorite!

The venue was chosen to reflect the theme of queens, as they are the most important piece in chess. Each piece of the layout was designed so specifically; showing the queen's movement in a chess game or even including surrounding pieces. Every detail was created to inspire the symbolism around the queen.

One of my favorites was for the "Ruler" inspired dress. Our chess fanatic of a tour guide explained that the isolation of the single dress in the category was intentional. It was surrounded by a black wooden fence incorporating pawns into the structure. The featured garment itself was elegant and powerful, yet it portrayed the loneliness of a queen--her hands tied together.

Another beautiful layout was for "Mother Earth". I recognized the queen it was associated with, Maria Theresa- queen of the Austria-Hungary Empire, from my AP European History days. I guess school can help with fashion! The dresses were scattered throughout what appeared to be a garden scene. Except beneath a wooden dress, the only non-wearable dress of the exhibit, the ground was covered in green, faux grass with bundles of pink rose flower heads covering the maze-like dividers and structures. It immediately made me think of the Queen of Hearts' garden from Alice in Wonderland. It was quite fitting with the theme!

The rest of the atmosphere was created with a soundtrack. No words were needed, since the clothes speak for themselves, but the soothing and mysterious music created the perfect ambiance to marvel at the collection. I especially recognized it on the first floor. Our tour guide provided that it was created specifically for this event.

A historical touch came from the queens designated to each piece or vice versa. There was a picture and a couple paragraphs of knowledge that could be drawn to each sector. I would have read them if time permitted, but the group I was with moved along a bit quick for that.

Overall, it was quite the experience! I've decided I'd like to look more into Alexander McQueen and his fashion history. I'd also like to say congratulations to the curator and all the people who worked so hard to put this together. The symbolic and intentional meaning behind every detail is incredible. I'm definitely inspired by it all and hope that if you live in St. Louis or another city the exhibit will be traveling to, you have an opportunity to see it.

 

The presentation attached is a more thorough showing of the exhibit from the websites listed as sources at the end. I apologize with the low tech of the upload/link. I've included some pictures from the documented sources, as well as taken by my friend Libby (sneaky!). In no way am I intending to take credit for anyone else's work, I just wanted to share my experience!

Picture Presentation:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_adKARHZsb7WG5zUGlhN1RkSXM/edit?usp=sharing

Exhibit Link:
http://www.worldchesshof.org/exhibitions/exhibit/a-queen-within