Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos and Muse
Why I Went
Alexander McQueen has always fascinated me.
His work wasn’t simply about fashion. It challenged ideas of beauty, identity, craftsmanship and emotion in ways few designers ever have. Long before I visited this exhibition, I had admired his ability to combine impeccable tailoring with extraordinary creativity.
When Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos and Muse arrived at the National Gallery of Victoria, it was an exhibition I couldn’t miss.
Like many of the exhibitions featured throughout Gallery Notes, I wasn’t there to admire beautiful clothes alone.
I wanted to better understand the designer behind them, and to see the workmanship up close, appreciate the construction of each garment, and learn how great design is built from imagination, discipline and technical mastery.
It reminded me that true style is never just about what we wear. It begins with ideas, intention and the confidence to create something unmistakably your own.
About the Exhibition
Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos and Muse explored the extraordinary career of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, presenting garments alongside artworks that inspired his creative vision.
Rather than displaying clothing in isolation, the exhibition paired McQueen’s designs with paintings, sculpture, historical objects and decorative arts from the NGV collection. These connections revealed the references that shaped his work; from mythology, religion and nature, to history, romance and the natural world.
The result was far more than a fashion exhibition. It demonstrated how creativity is rarely created in isolation. Inspiration comes from many places, and great designers transform those influences into something entirely their own.
Seeing the garments in person also highlighted the remarkable craftsmanship behind each piece. Details that are impossible to appreciate in photographs (fabric manipulation, embroidery, tailoring and construction) became some of the exhibition’s most memorable moments.
Highlights
One of the most striking aspects of the exhibition was the extraordinary craftsmanship. Every garment revealed countless hours of skilled workmanship, reminding visitors that fashion at this level is closer to wearable art than clothing.
The exhibition also demonstrated McQueen’s fearless creativity. His collections often challenged conventional ideas of beauty while drawing inspiration from literature, history, mythology and nature. Each room encouraged visitors to look beyond the surface and consider the story each design was telling.
Although dramatic, many pieces also reflected exceptional tailoring and structure—the foundations upon which even the most imaginative creations were built.
Unfortunately, many of my photos are lost (somewhere in the ether!), but featured, are the few that survived.
Lessons in Style
One of the biggest lessons I took from this exhibition is that style is built on much more than trends.
Alexander McQueen understood the importance of knowing the rules before breaking them. His extraordinary creativity was supported by exceptional technical skill, precise tailoring and an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship.
The exhibition also reinforced the value of developing inspiration beyond fashion itself. Art, architecture, history, travel and nature all influence how we see beauty and express ourselves.
Most of us will never wear a McQueen runway creation, nor do we need to. But, we can all learn from his willingness to think differently, value quality over quantity, and create with intention rather than imitation.
That, to me, is what personal style is really about.
You can only go forward by making mistakes.
Alexander McQueen