Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium: Lee Alexander McQueen | Fashion Display and Discourse

In conjunction with the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, renowned scholars and artists explore imagination, artistic process, and innovation in fashion and art to further examine the interdisciplinary impulse that defined McQueen’s career, legacy, and sources of inspiration for the Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium on Textiles and Dress. One of the most significant contributors to fashion between 1990 and 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen (London, 1969–2010) was both a conceptual and technical virtuoso. His critically acclaimed collections synthesized the designer’s proficiency in tailoring and dressmaking with both encyclopedic and autobiographical references that spanned time, geography, media, and technology. The first McQueen exhibition on the West Coast, Mind, Mythos, Muse contextualizes the designer’s imaginative work within a canon of artmakers who drew upon analogous themes and visual references. Critical to all fashion exhibitions are curatorial collaborations between mounting experts and artists on the display of costume objects. Costume and Textiles Installation Specialist, Melinda Kerstein, discusses her role in Mind, Mythos, Muse and how she worked with the curators from the inception of the exhibition to devise and build mounts for each garment in ways that helped to support each thematic section, all during a global pandemic. Artist, designer, and creator of custom-made headpieces incorporated into the exhibition, Michael Schmidt, elaborate