i wish there had been more pictures to accompany the descriptions of the collections, but i suppose that's better suited for a retrospective or a picture book.
alexander deserved better than the life he got. RIP LAM.

This book had a slow start but man was it THOROUGH. Although it mainly focuses on their start and their collections in the 90s, it gives a fairly robust idea of who these designers were. I do wish we had gotten to read more about how McQueen was later in his career and where his inspirations came from. It definitely touched on these things but mainly focused on these designers at their start and height of their careers. Also as gorgeous as Galliano’s clothes are, he is still a misogynistic/racist/anti-semitic pice of shit. The novel ends on a somber note of the author saying how they think fashion has turned from being about the art to being about consumption, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about these two designers.
4.5/5

fashiongirl22 and Scroobily are two YouTube channels I would recommend to see the McQueen shows. I loved reading about a show and then watching it online. I’m a jeans and hoodie kinda girl but that red beaded dress from McQueen’s Fall 2008 show is breathtaking.

This was a fairly uneven book, with Thomas clearly favoring McQueen (I don't blame her, he is one of my favorites too). There were times when Galliano didn't feel like one of the main subjects of the book but merely existed as a prop/foil to McQueen and what he was accomplishing. Thomas also included a number of unnecessary & bitchy commentary and presented them as fact, and their inclusion didn't contribute much to what she's was writing except to feel a sense of superiority. Which, sure, fashion is catty! But this is being presented as a **serious** book written by a **reporter** rather than a raunchy tell-all. Overall I liked it but wanted to love it.

I was totally engrossed by this book. It was intriguing and informative. I set out to learn more on McQueen and Galiano, but I also got an education on the ins and outs of the fashion industry as a whole and the changes it's endured over the last few decades. The writing was sharp and compelling.