We, and nearly every fashion writer, blogger or fan who could attend, said that the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” exhibit at the MET was worth seeing no matter what. It seems many of you were listening, and not even a fashion superhero could challenge a retrospective on the late designer’s legacy.

With nearly a week left, the New York Times is reporting that the showing set an attendance record for a fashion exhibition with 582,000 people attending as of Sunday night. The previous record was held by the 2008 “Superheroes: Fashion Fantasy” exhibition which attracted 576,000 attendees. The MET is planning to keep the exhibit open until midnight on August 6th and 7th – the two final days.

In more McQueen news, the designer’s will was recently made public and it was revealed that McQueen left £50,000 for the care of his dogs – the same amount he left to each of his housekeepers, nieces and nephews. An animal lover to the end, two separate UK animal charities also received £100,000 donations from McQueen’s estate. The bulk of his £16 million (approximately $25 million) fortune, however, will go to his own charity which the designer asked to use towards scholarships at his alma mater, Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. {the Independent}

He broke boundaries when he was alive, broke hearts with his death, but there seems to be no limit to the number of people Alexander McQueen continues to inspire and touch from beyond.

A few words to describe the experience at Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this weekend: Hot. Crowded. Worth the trip, no matter what.

Vogue UK is reporting this morning that the McQueen exhibit is the Costume Instituteâ€s most popular ever at the MET with 5,100 people showing up on opening day, and @WorldMcQueen tweeted that the MET reported a record 43,000+ visitors to the exhibit in less than a week. We certainly believe it.

We got to the museum around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and headed straight for the special exhibit, which was unveiled at the Costume Institute Gala last Monday and opened to the public May 4, making this the first weekend ordinary folks could visit it. On reaching the entrance the crowding was apparent, but there was no line. However, upon exiting the Savage Beauty exhibit about 90 minutes later, a 45 minute-long line had formed and was snaking its way throughout the European paintings.

Savage Beauty will remain at the MET until July 31, so if youâ€re really not into the idea of a potential long wait, holding off for a few weeks might be a good idea. Weâ€re of the opinion, however, that this special exhibit is worth the 45 minute line.

McQueenâ€s pieces possess a certain magic, and being in the presence of his work had a goose-bump inducing effect, particularly in one of the multiple rooms of the exhibit which contained mounted television screens running clips of some of McQueenâ€s most memorable shows like “What a Merry Go Round” and, our personal favorite, “Itâ€s Only a Game.” Seeing the “Armadillo” shoes and several looks from “Platoâ€s Atlantis” was also amazing. You can truly appreciate McQueenâ€s attention to detail and perfect execution when viewing his work in person. We couldâ€ve stared at some of the pieces for hours without becoming bored.

The exit from the exhibit included a Savage Beauty gift shop with all of the expected memorabilia including Savage Beauty T-shirts and wall calendars. Also available was a catalogue by Andrew Bolton, which can also be purchased online in addition to a commemorative skull scarf (for $495, of course).

If we had one gripe regarding Savage Beauty, it would be the banshee music in the second room. The exhibit consisted of multiple rooms, and in each the different music was appropriately haunting and set the tone perfectly. In room two, however, the music consisted of a repeated banshee howl, which was actually a bit corny and somewhat annoying as movement through the exhibit slowed with the growing crowd. One other minor inconvenience: no pictures are allowed. It’s an understandable rule, but still disappointing that the museum docents were strict about enforcing it.

Surprisingly, the large number of visitors to the exhibit doesnâ€t fall into the category of pitfalls. Though the crowd had its annoyances, it was actually an additional fascination. So many different types of people were there, from fashion types to mothers and their kids, groups of girlfriends and a few older groups. It was at once surprising and refreshing to see such varied and large interest in a fashion exhibit, since it often seems widespread interest in fashion is restricted to shopping.

Bottom line: no matter who you are or how much knowledge of or interest in fashion you have, Savage Beauty is worth the trip to the MET. Get yourself there. ASAP.

Exhibition renderings by Joseph Bennett via the Metropolitan Museum of Art Blog

Sarah Burton in a dress of her own design at the Met Costume Institute Gala

According to WWD, a well deserved vacation.

The royal wedding dressmaker is in New York, and appeared at the Met Gala honoring Alexander McQueen in a simple, flattering dress of her own design (ahem, Stella), but stuck around for a meet and greet at Saks Fifth Avenue. Though customers were advised not to ask about the royal wedding, it’s hard to overstate how much of an effect it had on raising her public profile among a non-fashion industry audience, so naturally someone asked.

Burton reportedly said Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa were “really nice and down to earth,” and that Duchess Catherine “couldn’t have been more lovely” as they collaborated on the dress. Not that we’d imagine Burton spilling the beans if Kate Middleton were a bridezilla.

Prior to the royal wedding, Burton was known as the designer of the (beautiful and completely appropriate, in our opinion) red dress that landed Michelle Obama in the center of controversy with American designers; and as those of you who do follow fashion know, before that it was as the designer who everyone was counting on to keep the house of McQueen thriving in a way that would retain the design genius and skill of its late founder, while moving forward in a direction that’s more tribute than replica.

Needless to say, in spite of the increased responsibility Burton seems to be doing exactly that amazingly well. Enjoy your vacation, Ms. Burton.

It’s official! Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen designed the wedding gown fit for a princess.

Well, a duchess for now, as Kate Middleton and Prince William won’t take the titles of prince and princess until Prince Charles becomes king. The official Royal Wedding website puts to rest months of speculation on who would design one of the most visible wedding dresses of the year. Burton was also responsible for the dress of Pippa Middleton, Kate’s sister and maid of honor. The v-neck is something of a signature for the future princess, but we also saw similarities to the wedding dress of Princess Grace of Monaco. In other words, bravo! to Sarah Burton for a gown that’s unique to the bride, but timeless enough to have its place in history, and pay tribute to Alexander McQueen’s legacy in a way the late designer likely never imagined.

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (that’s Prince William and Kate Middleton if you missed it), Sarah Burton and one of the late, great kings of fashion.

From the website:

The Wedding Dress

Miss Catherine Middletonâ€s Wedding Dress has been designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.

Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing.  Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueenâ€s work.  Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.

The dress epitomises timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom.  The dress design pays tribute to the Arts and Crafts tradition, which advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often Romantic styles of decoration.  Ms Burtonâ€s design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.

The design

The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.  The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.  Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.

Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim.  With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour.  The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar.  The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats.  The train measures two metres 70 centimetres.  The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueenâ€s designs.  The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops.  The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.

The Fabrics

French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition.

All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies.  The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team.

The Royal School of Needlework

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design.  The lace motifs were pinned, ‘framed up†and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimetres around each lace motif.  The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean.

The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19.

The RSNâ€s work was used primarily for the train and skirt of the Brideâ€s dress, the bodice and sleeves, the Brideâ€s shoes and the Brideâ€s veil.

Veil and Jewellery

The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.  The veil is held in place by a Cartier ‘halo†tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen.  The ‘halo†tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King.  The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.

The Brideâ€s earrings, by Robinson Pelham, are diamond-set stylised oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the centre.  Inspiration for the design comes from the Middleton family’s new coat of arms, which includes acorns and oak leaves.  The earrings were made to echo the tiara.  The earrings were a personal gift to the Bride from her parents for her Wedding Day.

Robinson Pelham have also designed and made a pair of diamond earrings for Miss Philippa Middleton.  These earrings are more floral in nature to compliment the headpiece worn by Miss Philippa Middleton during the Service.

A tourmaline and diamond pendant and matching earrings have been designed and made for Mrs. Carole Middleton.  Two gold stick pins, one with a single gold acorn at the head and the other with an oak leaf, are also worn respectively by the Father of the Bride, Mr. Michael Middleton, and the Bride’s brother, Mr. James Middleton.

Wedding Shoes

The wedding shoes have made hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen and are made of ivory duchesse satin with lace hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.

Screenshot of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress via the Huffington Post

It could be because designers (read: their publicists) are too pre-occupied with the Fall 2011 show season at this point to bother dressing anyone, but we have a different hypothesis: Hollywood stars dressed horribly for this yearâ€s SAG Awards because thatâ€s the only way they could get any press for their look. A simple, elegant gown that would garner much praise and a spot on all of the best dressed lists after the Oscars or Golden Globes would go largely unnoticed at the SAGs. Proof positive: Kyra Sedgwick wore a gorgeously understated black gown by Thierry Mugler last night, and hardly anyoneâ€s talking about it as far as we can tell.

Plus, if our theory does not hold true, how else would one explain Jennifer Lawrenceâ€s Pepto Bismol-colored Oscar de la Renta dress paired with stripper heels and a bow no one over the age of 10 should wear? Or Hailee Steinfeldâ€s orange Prada stripes? Andre Leon Talley praised Steinfeldâ€s look, saying her lack of jewelry and relaxed hair style were the perfect touch to ensure she wasnâ€t trying too hard. We have a question for ALT: if one should try not to look like one tried hard to impress on a red carpet, then where else should one wear one’s best jewels and finest hair style? We’d be tempted to give Steinfeld a pass because, at 14, at least she was dressed for her age, but she did the not-too-adult, but still subtly glamorous thing so well at the Golden Globes that we just have to say no to her latest look.

We loved Claire Danes’ bright pink lipstick, which would have looked decent in contrast to a printed Louis Vuitton number, but an awkwardly placed belt made her overall style a bit too casual for our taste as well. And speaking of ill-placed belts: Lea Michele. Her Oscar de la Renta gown was gorgeous, but the extra accessory seemed unnecessary. January Jones†Carolina Herrera embroidered gown was lovely, but overshadowed by an unflattering hairstyle, and, finally, Christina Hendricks, who normally takes a well-deserved place on every best dressed list, looked like she was wearing a bathrobe in her L’Wren Scott dress.

The one standout of the night was Mila Kunis in an Alexander McQueen dress designed by Sarah Burton that continued the red trend of the Golden Globes. The dress was the perfect color for her, and she looked stunning. Enough so that we’ll let the belt on this one off with a warning. Hillary Swankâ€s one-shouldered Versace dress was also quite beautiful but has been generating less press than Kunis†gown. For almost everyone else, better luck next year – or in the next few weeks when we hope everyone will lose the belts and go back to unhindered glamour.

Lady in red

Really, there’s not much to say about the First Lady’s look besides wow. Vera Wang, in one of her own designs, was more understated but still elegant. We have to say the biggest surprise came from Wintour though. Perhaps it was out of deference for the First Lady, but the Vogue editor seemed a bit under dressed. Yes, Chanel suits are elegant and classic, but among the gowns of the evening – not just Michelle Obama’s either – it seemed like something better reserved for a cocktail gathering than a formal affair.

No one wants to be accused of trying to upstage the Michelle Obama or the first family (just ask Desiree Rogers), but did Wintour take that directive too far? We’ve seen the Met Gala photos so we know she has some gorgeous gowns in the closet, and we can’t imagine many designers refusing to lend a gown to the editor of the leading fashion magazine. Being low key is a good way to ensure an invitation to the next event, but we hope that Wintour doesn’t play it quite as safe the next time around.

Anna Wintour, Vera Wang and Christianne Amanpour (wearing an Armani suit that seems like a better choice for a formal dinner)

Alexander McQueen Moves Forward

Goodbye Mr. McQueen, hello Ms. Burton. Long live McQueen.

Style.com covered the passing of Alexander McQueen and the showing of the final collection he designed, but something that was equally important this year was the success of Sarah Burtonâ€s first show as the new designer for the McQueen label. The passing of such a genius creative mind was indeed tragic, and the showing of McQueenâ€s last collection was a special moment, but Burtonâ€s signal that the brand can honor McQueenâ€s legacy while moving forward was absolutely stellar.

John Gallianoâ€s Dior Couture Wows

Dior haute couture was in full bloom this year when John Galliano showed his Spring 2011 collection of flower-inspired looks. The imagery and execution of the designs combined with the high, tulip-like hair of the models for a full package display of gorgeousness and perhaps our favorite moment in fashion of 2010.

McQ has a new creative director in Pina Ferlisi, and with the regime change will come collection changes, including more accessories, an increasingly casual feel and 25 percent lower prices.

Looks like it's going to take at least at 30% price reduction for her to get excited about the new McQ

“We always felt there was scope to create a brand that was more accessible — and a little more edgy,” President and CEO Jonathan Akeroyd said. “Weâ€ve got a strong ambition for it.” {Fashionologie}

Weâ€re not quite sure how a brand becomes at once more accessible and edgier, since we generally perceive edgy to mean bold, daring or more difficult to pull off as a style, but the 25 percent discount is a huge plus.

In keeping with the fashion advertising trend du jour, McQ will debut a film that features models wearing the preview clothes this week in lieu of a look book.

As far as the sneak peak clothes go, weâ€re not all that impressed, actually. (Pause for a huge gasp in response to us having anything negative to say about anything McQueen). The looks are bland and a bit too dark. We understand dark looks are signature to McQueen, but something about the new McQ line is too emo teenager/Wednesday Addams, falling short of the fantastical edginess weâ€re used to from McQueen. Hopefully the full collection will be more impressive in a few months. What do you think of the McQ fall 2011 preview?

“McQ will become our responsibility alongside the core Alexander McQueen label, allowing us to share ideas and knowledge, expand the business and grow the already iconic brand,” President and CEO of Alexander McQueen Jonathan Akeroyd told WWD. “Over the past five years, McQ has established itself internationally with its young, renegade but always signature McQueen style and we are ready to take it to the next stage in its development.”

Speaking of development at Alexander McQueen, the label is enjoying wild success of late, as the highly anticipated first womenswear collection by newly appointed creative director Sarah Burton debuted with astounding praise from critics in Paris this month. Burton replaced Lee Alexander McQueen at the helm following his death earlier this year.

The general consensus among critics is that Burtonâ€s first collection was the perfect balance of respecting McQueenâ€s vision and adding personal, more feminine touches to advance the brand.

Hilary Alexander at the Telegraph said the collection included “elaborately-beautiful pieces which maintained the spirit of McQueen’s legacy, whilst injecting a new atmosphere of ethereal bohemian romance,” while Cathy Horyn at The New York Times said, “some references to the McQueen craft and drama are necessarily, but her choices reflected a gradual transition.”

At left, the closing look from Sarah Burton's first solo collection at Alexander Mc Queen. At right, designer Sarah Burton

Booth Moore at the Los Angeles Times noted that Burtonâ€s collection seemed more wearable than the typical McQueen line. He credited that to her status as a woman, saying the clothes, “didn’t have the tortured genius of the namesake designer … But the clothes may have been better for it.” He added that even though much of Burtonâ€s collection was typical McQueen, “Burton banished McQueen’s famously restrictive neckpieces, headdresses and hobbling shoes with a woman’s touch.”

What do you think of the collection? Perfect balance of McQueen and Burton, or would you have liked to see something else?

“One (model) turned to give me an extremely prominent close-up of her mostly naked back view,” Wintour told a congregation of more than a thousand people. “Well, after that collection it was a done deal. Everybody lowered their trousers everywhere.” {The Cut}

Stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Bjork and Daphne Guinness paid their respects to the talented and missed McQueen. Prayers were said, remembrances were read, and Bjork sang a tribute donning angel wings. {FabSugar}

Long live McQueen.