In his inaugural years as a student of Central Saint Martins, Lee Alexander McQueen would wander the palatial halls at London’s Victoria and Albert museum in search of inspiration—transfixed by the extensive period displays of Edwardian and Victorian finery. It seems fitting then that, after a record-shattering presence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 2011, the sensational retrospective of his pioneering works, "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty," will have its London homecoming here and officially open Sunday. However, before the exhibit opens to the public, the museum toasted the late, great British designer with a gala and many of his famous friends.
“I feel immensely proud of him,” revealed supermodel Erin O’Connor in a sharply tailored white McQueen tuxedo dress. “I wonder what he would have made of it all,” she added softly. The star joined an influential crowd of tastemakers including Kate Moss (who sauntered through the grand entrance hall in a diaphanous lace McQueen gown), David Beckham and Victoria Beckham in a custom filigree dress from her own line, Livia and Colin Firth, Erdem Moralioglu, and Sarah Burton, the creative director of McQueen’s eponymous label, who collectively toured the exhibition (open to the public from March 14), before enjoying an opulent dinner and intimate performance by the enchanting British songstress FKA twigs.
The party really got going at the strike of midnight, where doors to the Porter Gallery were opened to reveal a glossy black stage, swirling disco ball, and a booming soundtrack of seventies soul hits. Cue: impromptu swing dancing between Katie Grand, Bella Freud, and Mario Testino. Close by, a flame-haired Beth Ditto marveled at the spectacle, “It’s extraordinary, I’m so touched by it all,” she exclaimed, while adjusting her graphic-patterned McQueen dress. Pulsating floor lights signaled the entrance of a contemporary ballet troupe, who leapt onto the podium in iterations of McQueen’s iconic "Bumster" trousers. Extra cheers came courtesy of Kate Moss, who momentarily shimmied between the dancers in a signature skull-printed slip dress (Go Mossy) before returning to the arms of her husband Jamie Hince, and an applauding Princess Beatrice.
“What I’ve realized tonight,” whispered actress Dianna Agron, as the crowd slowly dispersed. “is that I can ever get enough Alexander McQueen. Revisiting his work in this beautiful setting is unbelievable. I urge everyone to visit immediately.” All hail McQueen.