The enfant terrible of the fashion world died yesterday after apparently committing suicide. Carola Long pays tribute to the irreverent and talented designer Alexander McQueen. “The sheer drama, grandeur and exhilarating bravery of Alexander McQueen’s designs and fashion shows may never be surpassed. No other British designer has turned such an idiosyncratic vision into their own internationally acclaimed brand. His ordinary background and down-to-earth manner stood out in an industry full of extravagant characters and carefully constructed personas. While McQueen’s designs might have showed a wild imagination, and scaled the greatest heights of fashion fantasy, Lee, as he was known to his friends, came across as less of a diva than a bloke. He wore baggy jeans and jumpers, and his three dogs appeared as motifs on his clothing. He was free from fashion’s customary hauteur, approachable and unaffected. This affability was mixed in with a shy, private side and a riotous sense of fun. His humour could also be dark, however, and it was this sense of the menacing side of life that gave his clothes such bite.”