Manolo says, it is always sad when someone dies, and doubly so when someone in the prime of life, full of talent and promise, kills himself. And so it was with great sadness that the Manolo read this morning of the suicide of Alexander McQueen.

Although, not everything he made was to the taste of the Manolo, everything he made was emphatically his own, stamped with his own unique style and standards. And, his shoes were often undeniably beautiful, or striking.

He will be very much missed.

And now the Manolo must ask, why the prominence of the skull motif in his most recent collection?

And not just in shoes, but scarves, t-shirts, even the macabrely humorous rings.

The skull motif was among the most popular things Alexander McQueen had ever done, and yet the Manolo wonders, why?

Why did Alexander McQueen produce his own memento mori?

In retrospect, it is now all so sad.

Update: Catie at the Cuffington Blog has something important to say about Alexander McQueen’s suicide.