Alexander McQueen has become one of the most famous designers the world has ever seen and his collections still fascinate the world today world. His bizarre designs can easily intrigue or disgust anyone, but do people who see his work really understand what his works mean? McQueen not only told stories throughout the collections, but also shared his personal opinions and talked about his ancestors. While what McQueen is trying to say may not be apparent at first glance of his designs, he actually uses fashion to communicate with those who are in love with his work. This idea can be seen in two collections (Highland Rape and The Girl Who Lived In A Tree) and in a common theme throughout McQueen's works (empowering women). The way McQueen designs is such that the clothes are more than just cute garments to wear, but allow him to express his true beliefs in a way that words couldn't describe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Highland Rape is a collection in which McQueen not only shares the history of the Scottish people, but is also able to express his feelings towards the harshness of the subject through his clothes. When the collection was first carried out there were girls covered in blood, half naked and shocking. Their clothes were also torn and, for the most part, barely covered their bodies. At first people thought that this collection was about real rape and considered McQueen a homosexual who tried to exploit women's bodies. In response, however, McQueen would tell the true background of his collection by saying: “[This collection] was a cry against English designers… who made gaudy tartan clothes. My father's family are originally from the Isle of Skye and I had studied the history of the Scottish Risings and the Clearances. People were so unintelligent that they thought it was about women being raped – yet Highland Rape was about England raping Scotland.” He then went on to describe how he finds Scotland to be a harsh, cold and bitter place due to England's involvement. What happened was that England was taking Scottish lands by force, and then driving people out by killing them or raising the prices of their property. The Scots who fought back mostly died, leaving thousands of women widowed. McQueen expressed it as a rape of Scotland by England because England was essentially imposing itself on Scotland and in doing so made the Scottish people miserable for the year to come. In picture one there is a green dress with a slit down the center of the chest and spikes around the collar. The spikes represented being watched, as the neck is a sensitive area of ​​the body and like Scotland had to keep their guard up at all times. Also you can see that the fabric is starting to deteriorate around the edges of the garment, this is McQueen trying to show how over time England eventually wore down or started to wear down Scotland. In Figure Two McQueen is trying to show how Scotland was mentally denuded by England after these mini wars. As for figure one, figure three is very similar, where McQueen tries to give a torn and deteriorated look to his work. This was also intended to convey that Scotland was slowly falling apart due to England's attempt to wear Scotland down. Finally, in picture four, you can see that the chest of the suit is ripped open and barely held together and then in the next photo the chesthe is completely exposed as the shirt splits open. The shirt split was also done along the runway, so the concept of Scotland barely holding it together could be seen more prominently. These examples and concepts explained above only help to argue that McQueen was working to use fashion as a way to communicate with his fans. He felt like an injustice had been done to Scotland that he was trying to help by sharing his story in the best way he knew how, which was through fashion. In addition to sharing his personal life through his projects, McQueen also shares his personal opinions and ideas on certain topics through them. An example of this is how McQueen tried to empower women through his clothes. “I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress." McQueen first achieves this goal with the line of his women's trousers, which elongate the woman's legs to make them appear taller and therefore more threatening. He didn't like women to look soft and vulnerable, but he always managed to maintain their femininity in all designs. This concept can be captured in figure five where a type of matador clothing is shown. McQueen's idea behind this design was to empower a woman through the pant leg and the concept of a woman in the role of a man. The trousers are high-waisted with a fitted straight-leg design that gives the illusion that the woman is taller than she actually is. Height plays an important role in McQueen's designs where he believes that height gives power to a person by being able to tower over another. Additionally, it plays into the idea of ​​the matador, which is known as a predominantly male occupation where men are celebrated for their courage and virility. In this way McQueen is trying to show that women can be just as strong as men, but still keeps the feminine aspects of the design by revealing most of the chest. She is trying to express that while women are just as strong as men, she also understands that their anatomy is different, and while they should be celebrated for their strengths they should also be recognized for their differences. McQueen also said, “I don't like women who look naive,” which McQueen linked through his designs with his empowerment of women which can also be seen in the figure six. “I like padded sides because they don't give the [piece] a historical look, but… more sensual. Like the statue of Diana with large breasts and hips. It is more maternal, more feminine, but also retains the strength of women." In the figure six, you can see the heavily padded hips and padded shoulders, which now only creates an hourglass figure, one of the most ideal female figures, but also makes the wearer of the dress more threatening. The woman is immediately more powerful because she appears larger while maintaining this ideal feminine form, just like the other design shown in figure five. It keeps the woman still feminine while also elevating her to the strength associated with men. This just shows how she is able to communicate her ideas of what women should be like through her designs and how she hopes women will progress more strongly. McQueen was also able to convey stories through his collections by using a series of models to elaborate on an idea. As seen in figures seven through eleven, you can see the transformation of a series of designs from a chaotic piece to what appears to be a royal queen. In figures seven and eight the journey of the drawings is shown by the progression from a completely chaotic creature.