ART & DESIGN

Flight of Fancy

A rug by the late, great Alexander McQueen.

by Sarah Taylor

arar_rug_h.jpg

Shortly before he passed away, Alexander McQueen completed an opulent six-piece collection for the Rug Company. While the English firm has collaborated with such designers as Vivienne Westwood, Diane von Furstenberg, and Paul Smith, McQueen’s hand-knotted series—four large rugs and two coordinating throw pillows—is its most ambitious project to date. After three years of design and production, the interior works of art are already being considered instant heirlooms. For one rug, in a military brocade design, McQueen was inspired by a gold bullion–embroidered coat from his fall 2001 runway show; for another, he mined his iconic skull pattern in striking white and silver. For us, however, this dreamy flock of hummingbirds taking wing into the night sky—an image McQueen borrowed from his spring 2009 collection—feels like a particularly apt send-off to the fashion genius.

Courtesy of the Rug Company