McQueen's talent and understanding of the women's body at "Savage Beauty" exposition

Masculine vs. Feminine. Past vs. Future. Dark vs. Light. The extremes straddled by fashion designer Alexander McQueen in his masterpiece, encouragement and, seemingly, in his life, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle in a new museum show called "Savage Beauty."

The analysis of distinctions in the show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute shows McQueen, the artist and intellectual, as he was celebrated during his occupation — and even after his suicide at age 40 in February of 2010.

McQueen was every time drawn to a contest, especially when he could question normal conventions of fashion and beauty, Andrew Bolton, exhibit curator, says.

Bolton quoted a Shakespeare passage that McQueen had tattooed on his arm as a starting point for the show: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind."

At Monday's press preview, Bolton explicated that in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," that phrase is said by Helena, someone who believed that love could change something bizarre into something magnificent.

Stella McCartney, a close associate of McQueen's, and Sarah Burton, his longtime deputy and designer of the present McQueen line, attended the opening, both saying that they were there to honor him and his involvement to their activity. Many more of the world's top designers, models and film stars were expected to pay similar honour Monday night at a gala celebrating the exhibition.

One featured piece could rouse comparison to the Duchess of Cambridge's gown, although this was a lavender lace top with black cashmere-and-fleece denims. The structure of the bodice, with strong shoulders, a nipped waist and just a mention of sexiness in a narrow V-neck, was very similar to the shape of the outfit.

Better instances of McQueen's exciting and creative flair, however, are the show's two opening dresses, an outfit made of red and black ostrich feathers with tiers of glass medical slides painted red to mimic blood, and another gown made of razor-clam shells stripped and varnished. Both were from the Voss line of 2001.

McQueen's runway shows were always highlights of the fashion agenda; he each time pushed the catwalk to the border and found a way to astonish, and sometimes shock, the normally bored fashion crowd. A model's movements were restricted by a metal contraption like a doll for the La Poupee collection in `97; robot arms painted Shalom Harlow in graffiti in 1999; and a giant mirror uncomfortably tracked the movements of editors, stylists and retailers in the audience of his Voss collection of 2001. All are incorporated into the exhibition in video displays.

Kate Moss, in a striking, frothy, cream-colored gown, was beamed onto the runway as a hologram in `06 in the Widows of Culloden collection, and "Savage Beauty" recreates a Tinkerbell-size version of that — with the real dress displayed nearby.

Also, there are several examples of his signature tartan plaid, intolerable heels and his famous low-slung "bumster" silhouette, which Bolton said during a walkthrough last week emphasized McQueen's skill and understanding of the female body.