McQueen Prepares a Busy Summer of Eyes, Scents, Menswear and Parties
April 27, 2004 - Paris
Get ready for a busy blast of energy this summer from Alexander McQueen, the most hyper-kinetic designer in fashion
On June 3, McQueen will stage what should be the most fashionable party of the UK summer with a mega party to celebrate the ultra exclusive American Express Black cards.
This Thursday, May 1, the latest scent from the designer hits stores worldwide, while his debut collection of reading glasses and shades, Alexander McQueen Eyes, rolls out internationally in mid May. Plus, in the end of June he will unveil his second mens collection in Milan.
But lets first focus on the fete, which will be staged in Earls Court London and feature some 40 works from creative luminaries where possible in black. Among the geniuses Lee hopes to commission are Bjork, Steven Klein and Norman Foster, whose works will then be auctioned for an AIDS charity.
The highlight of the event will be a major world of McQueen fashion show featuring his greatest looks, all reproduced in black for the event. FYI - The card is not for cheapskates: to qualify for an American Express Black card, holders must spend $1 million a year with the plastic.
McQueen has been telling friends that Earls Court will be divided into two sides Ð "one half Studio 54, the other Claridges with black velvet sofas and bar."
Our advice to guests is fasten your seat belts it should be a bumpy night. And, before heading over, splash on a little of Kingdom Limited Edition.
The new scent debuted in Selfridges last week in London and will roll out internationally at the end of this week. The package is typically iconoclastic McQueen, with an open steel egg, holding a glass heart decorated with delicate rose petals.
A blend of Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian mandarin and white jasmine, Kingdom Limited Edition, is a new twist on the McQueen debut fragrance Kingdom launched in spring 2003. Kingdom Limited Edition will have an exclusive distribution in each market Ð just 5,000 flacons in France, for instance.
McQueens staff also recently presented in Paris the houses first eyewear collection, produced under license by Italian specialist Safilo.
Composed of eight sunglasses and six opticals, the looks are in classic McQueen mixes of materials Ð green acetate, dark tortoise wood and titanium. The selection also features his celebrated "panda" eye looks that has appeared in catwalk shows.
Like so much McQueen does, his new "Eyes" are an ingenuous blend of high-tech concepts and artisan skills. Priced at between $160 and $300, the eyewear will debut in McQueens own stores in mid-May before rolling out to 1,400 stores internationally in June.
Expect to see McQueen in these shades in June when he shows his second season of mens looks. The designer is mulling staging a catwalk show, though probably on a lesser scale than his most recent womenÕs show in Paris. It was an immense 80-feet diameter circular raised set, under a huge gantry of concentric lights inspired by crop circles in Southern England.
Whatever happens heres looking at you Lee.
and all for a few extra stores and a quite a few million. 
even if you retain the title of creative director, giving up more than 50% of one's company is the easiest way to lose control [halston, anyone?]....
a black card holder american express party
