Melrose Boutiques Respond to McQueen Death With Vigils and Memorials
Vigil at Alexander McQueen boutique on Feb. 11
News of the death of fashion designer Alexander McQueen on Feb. 11 stunned and saddened many of the fashion retailers on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue. One boutique, Madison, paid tribute to the provocative, young English designer with a mournful scene in its store window at 8115 Melrose Ave.
In the Madison window, several black-clad mannequins surrounded a coffin draped in a British flag. The window bore a sign that read “Long Live McQueen.”
A few blocks west of Madison, small groups of McQueen fans paid their respects to the designer by placing flowers, candles and notes at the storefront of the Alexander McQueen boutique at 8379 Melrose Ave. One note, signed with the initials T.F., said, “The things you created were true art.”
Others passed by the McQueen boutique to meditate on the designer’s passing. “I’m all shaken up,” said Courtney Thomas, a visual merchandiser from Melbourne,Australia, who was vacationing in Los Angeles.
The Melrose McQueen boutique will be reportedly be closed for three days to mourn the tragedy, according to sources. A representative for McQueen label owner Gucci Group NV said the company would not comment on future plans for the label, according to Bloomberg news reports.
