On Wheels: May 2011

Last night was the premier of the Costume Institue's 2011 Met exhibit, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. It has been a life goal of mine since I was a wee one to attend this event and each year I get a little sadder when my invitation becomes.. ahh, lost in the mail... (?). I pined when watching 2007's Superheros footage, I fell into depression when I of the Americana missed the 'American Women' last year... but last nights was possibly the most unbearable. Alexander McQueen was one of the first designers I began to truly love and recognize beyond uber name brands when I started really delving into fashion. I remember reading a early 2006Vogue and seeing this amazing black military-style jacket with elaborate gold trim - I promptly went out and used most of my meager high school funds to buy a similarly cut grey Ben Sherman jacket that I still have to this day. He was a visionary unmatched, one who, with all his dark idiosyncracies, could weave a fantasy creation of most any material that reminded us all why we fell in love with fashion - real, passionate, romantic, throw-yourself-in-body-and-soul fashion - in the first place.

From the previews I've glimpsed, the exhibit looks to be everything you could hope for. I'll be heading out the day it opens, this coming Wednesday, but I'm sure it won't be the only time I see it.

As for the Gala, the sartorial set turned out in all their glory to celebrate the person that was, for many, a dear friend and peer. Though this is traditionally one of the fashion year's biggest events, this time it was not just a theme, but a homage, and even those who were not wearing McQueen's designs were referencing him in breathtaking gowns by Chanel, Stella McCartney, and Rodarte. Below, some of the finest.