A Sad Year for Fashion

Just yesterday, the world was informed of the death of one of the fashion industry's most influential designers. Alexander McQueen, who was always known for his avant-garde style and the use of everyday "junk" to create wearable accessories, passed away in his home on February 11, 2010. McQueen was constantly surprising the world with his originality and wild creations. We here at H&J wish his family the best, and can assure you all Lee Alexander McQueen will be greatly missed.

A beautiful dress from McQueen's pre-fall collection for 2009. McQueen also created an extremely memorable collection for Paris Fashion Week last year. This collection featured many designs featuring 'found' items being used in new ways.

There is no doubt that McQueen's refreshing and innovative designs will be missed.

The fashion world was also shaken by the death of another influential figure in the past year. The world-renowned photographer Irving Penn passed away at the age of 92 last October. During his career as a photographer, Penn worked with many of today's top models, and was responsible for many Vogue photo shoots. His beautiful photographs accentuated already beautiful people and fashions, and took the viewer to a dream world where anything was possible.