This week I'm going to focus on some of my favorite designers.  I'm going to choose a different designer each day and show some of their looks.  This is a tough one for me because there are a lot of designers whom I love, and so it's hard to choose just a few.  But I will struggle on!!  My first pick for designer week is Alexander McQueen.....

Alexander McQueen was born in London in 1967 into a working-class family living in public housing in the Lewisham district.  His dad Ronald was a London 'cabbie' and his mum Joyce taught science. On their small incomes, they supported McQueen and his five siblings.  McQueen, called "Lee" by his friends for most of his life, recognized his homosexuality at an early age.  At age 16, McQueen dropped out of school.  He found work on Saville Row, the famous street in London offering made-to-measure men's suits.  He decided to further his clothes-making career and began working with theatrical costume designers.  The dramatic style of the clothing he made there would become a signature of his later look.  McQueen then left London for a brief stint in Milan, where he worked as a design assistant to Romeo Gigli.  Upon returning to London he enrolled at Central Saint Martin's College of Art & Design.  His collection produced as the culminating project of his degree was famously bought in its entirety by the well-known London stylist and eccentric Isabella Blow (who also became a life long friend).

Soon after obtaining his degree, Alexander McQueen started his own business designing clothes for women.  He met enormous success with the introduction of his 'bumster' pants, so named because of their extremely low-cut waistline.  Only four years out of design school, he was named Chief Designer of Louis Vuitton owned Givenchy.  His time at the fashion house (from 1996-2001) was a tumultuous time in the designers life. Even as he was pushing the limits of what people expected from fashion, he felt he was being held back.  He would later say the job 'constrained' his creativity.  Even with reservations about his work, McQueen won British Designer of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 2001 - all during his time at Givenchy.

Alexander McQueen started his own business after being provided the capital by Gucci in 2000, and in 2003 was declared International Designer of the Year.  He opened stores in New York, Milan, London, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  With the help of Gucci, he became even more successful than he was before.  He became known for his flair and dramatic shows.

In 2007, the death of close friend Isabella Blow (a suicide) would haunt him, and he dedicated his 2008 Spring/Summer line to her.  Just two years later, in February 2010, his mother died.  One day before her funeral, on Februally 11, 2010 McQueen was found dead in his Mayfair apartmnt.  The cause of death was suicide.

Alexander McQueen's rise from lowe-class high school dropout to internationally famous designer is a remarkable story.  His bold styles and fascinating shows inspired and wowed the world of fashion, and his legacy lives on.  Longtime co-designer Sarah Burton took over the still-operating Alexander McQueen brand, and McQueen's contribution to fashion was honored by a 2011 exhibition of his creations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Take a look at some of McQueen's incredible, dramatic, creative designs....