"It was February 2012, and Alexander McQueen was still the name on everyone's lips after Sarah Burton designed Kate Middleton's wedding gown the year before. The brand decided to show its McQ label in London for the first time, and I was superexcited to snag a ticket. However, since it was a diffusion line, I was expecting a small, simple show. How wrong I was!
This was the first show I ever attended that felt like a real spectacle. Models walked on a giant runway covered in thousands of Autumn leaves. The clothes were as stunning as the setting, and I will never forget the memory of seeing Kristen McMenamy rise from the darkness in a white 1950s style wedding dress, locate a rope from under the leaves, and follow it into a thick, luscious forest. Because of course they managed to create a forest in the middle of a warehouse in central London. It was a real 'pinch me, this is my life now' moment." — Gemma Cartwright, senior editor, UK