The skills he learned as an apprentice on Savile Row where his clients included people like Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Charles, helped Alexander McQueen earn a reputation in the fashion world as an expert in creating an impeccably tailored look. The most distinguishing features of his designs were their beauty; a sense of craft; a strong, confident silhouette; and the marriage of tradition with the avant-garde.

Celebrity patrons, including Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Rihanna, J-Pop Queens such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, and Koda Kumi have frequently been spotted wearing Alexander McQueen clothing to events almost seeming as if he created these extravagant designs for those ‘out there’ artists.

The shoes that Lady Gaga featured in her Bad Romance (2009) video, almost defy nature in itself, by portraying a whole new, very unrealistic shape of a foot. McQueen went beyond the natural and normative of fashion with pieces such as these, and by doing so became a famous trendsetter.

McQueen has been credited with bringing drama and extravagance to the catwalk. He used new technology and innovation to add a different twist to his shows and often shocked audiences. The silhouettes that he created have been credited for adding a sense of fantasy and rebellion to fashion. He became one of the first designers to use Indian models in London.