Sarah Burton

>> This evening at London's Savoy Theatre, a who's who of British fashion gathered for The British Fashion Council's annual awards. Victoria Beckham, accepting her Designer Brand of the Year award from presenter Marc Jacobs, told the crowd, "I am SO nervous," before shedding a few tears and adding: "This is rubbish." Alexa Chung, who took home the British Style award — which is decided by a public vote — dedicated her award to "girls who dress like awkward boys." Kate Hudson, presenting Red Carpet Award to Stella McCartney, regaled the audience with an anecdote about the dress McCartney designed for her to wear to her first Oscars: "I wore Stella and made every worst-dressed list. The next day, I called Stella, and she said, 'Face it babe, it was the hair.'" And finally, Sarah Burton, who took home Designer of the Year, called the award "the icing on the cake for what has been an amazing year."

The full list of winners, below.

Designer of the Year: Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen

Menswear Designer of the Year: Kim Jones
Accessory Designer of the Year: Charlotte Dellal for Charlotte Olympia
Designer Brand of the Year: Victoria Beckham
Model of the Year: Stella Tennant
Emerging Talent, Womenswear: Mary Katrantzou
Emerging Talent, Menswear: Christopher Raeburn
Emerging Talent, Accessories: Tabitha Simmons
New Establishment Award: Christopher Kane
Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator: Sam Gainsbury, Gainsbury and Whiting
Red Carpet Award: Stella McCartney
Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Award: Paul Smith
British Style Award: Alexa Chung

>> During Harper's Bazaar UK's Annual Women of the Year Awards last night at Claridges in London, guests were treated to the world premiere of Duran Duran's new "Girl Panic!" video, featuring Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Yasmin Le Bon, Cindy Crawford, and Eva Herzigova. Sarah Burton was spotted laughing with the band and was later presented with the Designer of the Year award by a McQueen-dressed Florence Welch. And Tom Ford won the Man in a Woman's World award, presented by a Ford-dressed Natalia Vodianova, who thanked him for “coming back to us women” after a womenswear absence.

Otherworldly is the best way to describe Sarah Burton's Spring 2012 collection for Alexander McQueen. She referenced the Greek goddess Gaia, who in mythology gave birth to the gods of sea. The oceanic theme arose via undulating ruffles and pearl and coral-crusted embellishments that looked like barnacles. But first, the impeccable tailoring; first with a series of skirt suits, belted high and elegantly on the waist, done in powerful metallic gold and blush tones. Some of the jackets were cut to reveal delicate lace bralettes underneath. A string of babydoll dresses were floaty and full, designed to mimic the movements of a jellyfish, thanks to a plethora of ruffles. For the finale, a string of awe-inspiring gowns, one that spoke to the darkness of McQueen with black, spidery-cut leather. Models wore facemasks cut of lace, but some had beading made to look as if coral were spreading over their faces. It was transformative, and on a larger scale, a transformative moment for Sarah Burton, who has shown that she can lead the Alexander McQueen house forward in a lighter, but still breathtakingly complex direction.

• Trends: aquatic theme, pearls, feathers, embellishment, wide belts, asymmetric hems.
• Colors: gold, blush, coral, white, cream, black.
• Key Piece: babydoll dresses with lace and ruffles were surprisingly light, while the gowns were just incredible. For "everyday" we love the tailored jackets that opened the show.
• Accessories: platform gladiator sandals that climbed up models's legs.
• Who Would Wear It: The gowns are for the most fashion-forward red carpet goers. But we can see some of the skirt suits working on Sarah Jessica Parker.

Sarah Burton took the dramatic route for Alexander McQueen's latest set of Fall ads, featuring Raquel Zimmermann. Shot by David Sims, the apocalyptic setting depicts a glowing Raquel wearing Burton's intricately designed pieces for the fashion house. The contrast between the dark (desolate valleys and burnt ashes) and light (Burton's highly artistic designs) surely catches our attention — do you agree? Check out the rest of the campaign in the slideshow then tell us your thoughts.

>> Starting tomorrow through Oct. 3, the wedding gown Sarah Burton designed for Kate Middleton will be on display to the public at Buckingham Palace as part of “The Royal Wedding Dress: A Story of Great British Design." In addition to the gown, Middleton's handcrafted Alexander McQueen bridal shoes (size 8, with three-inch heels), the diamond acorn earrings gifted to her by her parents, the Cartier Halo tiara she wore that was loaned by the Queen, and a silk flower replica of her bridal bouquet are all showcased for close viewing. There's also a 5-minute film about the creation of the dress, featuring Burton.

Among those details that were not visible from the wedding telecast: the wedding train's elaborate individual panels, which were deliberately engineered to hold their shape as the bride walked the long aisle, and the pumps' lace covering. "It was a feat of engineering,” Burton says of her design, adding: “It needed to be light." The dress is estimated to have cost £250,000 (approx. $408,000) and according to curator Caroline de Guitaut, its waist size is "small."

De Guitaut added that it was Middleton's choice to put the dress on display: "The Duchess considered a number of options, and then decided that she would like it to be displayed here at Buckingham Palace, which of course was the scene for the celebrations after Westminster Abbey, so it is very fitting that it should be shown here exactly where the reception took place.”

The Queen and Middleton inspected the exhibit today; a video can be seen here.

>> Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen is quickly becoming Kate Middleton's go-to designer for official royal engagements, between her McQueen wedding dress in April, the white McQueen peplum coat Middleton wore for her first official outing earlier this month, and most recently, the navy McQueen military dress she wore over the weekend for Irish Guard Armed Forces Day.

The most recent dress, which was noted to be from McQueen's Pre-Fall 2011 collection, seems to be custom made, as no piece from the lookbook quite matches up. The closest look has more dramatic, peaked shoulders and a more revealing v-neckline than Middleton's version, which she paired with Prada shoes and an Anya Hindmarch clutch.

Will Middleton wear more McQueen on her official visit to North America, which begins on June 30, when she and Prince William touch down in Canada? She was spotted at the McQueen offices in London last week with a garment bag under her arm, which appeared to contain something red. And royal officials confirmed that she may be striking "private agreements" with designers to help build her North American tour wardrobe — at this point, Burton seems a likely candidate (Middleton was also spotted at Wimbledon today wearing Temperley — another likely contender).

Speaking of Burton, WWD reports today that she's at the top of the wishlist to take over at Dior — and this strong connection with Middleton can't be hurting her chances.

>> A fusion of military details, Edwardian silhouettes, and the idea of "romantic utility" characterized Sarah Burton's Resort 2012 outing for Alexander McQueen. While staying true to plenty of classic McQueen elements — high necks, cinched waistlines, gold-embellished gowns — the collection also featured an injection of Burton's now-signature sense of softness. Corsetless tulle gowns, fitted lace dresses, and soft-ruffled peplums in elongated cuts portrayed a new, easier wearability. African-inspired leopard prints, colorful embroidery, and mirrored appliques added intrigue to the otherwise neutral palette of khaki, navy, ivory and black.