Missing McQueen.

McQueen has been on my mind as of late, but then again, he seems to be on my mind quite often. Perhaps it's the gloomy state of Seattle or my own fits of sadness and restlessness that have left me wondering why the world works as it does. Sarah Burton's Fall 2011 collection was recently shown in Paris as well and was a triumph, as we've come to expect from the designer. I will be discussing that show in due time. There was also the meeting I attended where I had to resist the urge to leap over the table at someone who declared his suicide "selfish." It seems absolutely ludicrous that someone might decide to evaluate the despair of another. In any case, my thoughts lead me to listening to the rather optimistic Jackson 5 song "I'll Be There," which closed the Spring 2011 show. Being a glutton for sadness, I turned to a video of the Fall 2010 show, the first I had seen. It seems quite surprising to me that it had escaped my radar, but the tumult of emotion that erupted from me after his death and after seeing photos from the show left me in more than a bit of disarray. Between the intricate detail of the clothes to the small scale and slow pace, the show is indelibly moving. Unsurprisingly, the clothes are all together more beautiful in motion than in the runway photos.

After such a solemn look at McQueen, I advise a listening of "I'll Be There." None of the full videos of the show I've found have the original soundtrack, but the clothes alongside the Jackson 5 tune can be seen at the end of the video below. That finale walk is theraputic at the very least.



I miss McQueen's vision and showmanship more than I can explain, but Sarah Burton is keeping the dream alive in her own way. If that means butterflies and the Jackson 5, I'll take it.