Dress

Alexander McQueen was renowned for the fantastical story arcs of his runway presentations. His deeply personal collection for spring/summer 2008, titled “La Dame Bleue,” paid homage to his late friend the fashion journalist Isabella Blow following her tragic suicide in 2007. Some pieces presented on the runway conjured the spirit of his muse and early patron in a formalist manner by including references to her singular style and their mutual love of birds. This comparatively unassuming black-sequined sheath conceals an exquisitely embroidered portrait of Blow. Her spectral likeness, which can only be glimpsed at certain angles, was rendered in gold beads placed amid strings of sequins. The accompanying headpieces were created by the milliner Philip Treacy, another friend and protégée of Blow’s