A still from the film.

As many of you saw at the Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony, Maria A. Romero presented her collection not on the runway, but with a short film. She constructed her entire collection on a set of dolls, and collaborated with students from the School of Animation and Visual Effects to create a stop motion film. The end result was a beautiful and moving presentation that allowed Maria to not only showcase her work – but to tell a story.

The film and collection were so spectacular, that they earned Maria an internship at Alexander McQueen, and caught the eye of the team over at NOWNESS – they decided to feature it as their story of the day! For those of you that don’t know, NOWNESS is an award-winning online platform that showcases some of the most inspiring stories from around the globe, previewing the latest in art, fashion, film, music, architecture and design, travel, sport, and gastronomy. They posted Cathy Horyn’s interview with Sarah Burton after the Spring ’12 collections, and recently published an exclusive two-part interview with Daphne Guinness – clearly, the site is a MAJOR deal.

Follow the jump to watch the video and head over to NOWNESS to read their exclusive interview with Maria! And Bravo to Maria and the School of Animation team – Travis Weaver, Victoria Simiele, Mireya Francoso, Dorthy Thielsen, Federico La-Tona, Benjamin Arthur, and Luke Night! See more…

All Photos Courtesy of Randy Brooke.

In honor of Sarah Burton’s visit to the Academy of Art University School of Fashion, Neiman Marcus in Union Square came up with some tantalizing Alexander McQueen window displays. They featured look from the house’s Spring/Summer ’12 collection, gorgeous gold and cream suits and dresses that hug every curve. What we wouldn’t do to get our hands on one of those! For now, we’ll just have to settle for window shopping.

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The Met Gala Red Carpet. Photo Courtesy of Kevin Tachman/Vogue.

Each year we look forward to The Met Gala for two reasons: 1) It means the opening of an amazing new exhibit curated by the folks at the Met’s Costume Institute and 2) Because the red carpet is always amazing. The annual opening night shindig is basically the Oscars of the fashion world, so you know that everyone will be dressed to impress. There were a number of ladies wearing designs by the woman of the evening, Miuccia Prada, whose inventive work makes up half of the exhibition – Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. Our favorite Prada look was worn by Carey Mulligan, whose gold and silver paillette-covered dress glittered beautifully amidst the flash bulbs. We also loved Anna Wintour’s Prada gown that paid homage to the late Schiaparelli with a gold, beaded lobster.

Carey Mulligan and Anna Wintour – both in Prada. Photo Courtesy of Getty Images.

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Today’s Monday Morning Photo pays homage to Isabella Blow – a fearless and fascinating woman who truly embodied the essence of fashion. She was an ardent supporter of new talent, famously buying Alexander McQueen’s entire senior collection and setting up a studio for Philip Treacy in the basement of her home. Known for breaking sartorial boundaries, she was particularly fond of hats, once saying:

“Hats make you look good and feel beautiful. You can wear them for lunch, a wedding or for breakfast. It is like taking drugs: it is more fun and less dangerous. You don’t have to look like an old bat. You can be a crow and look like a hen.”

We hope her spirit inspires you in the week ahead!

Photo Courtesy of Philip Treacy/Kevin Davies.

Philip Treacy was born in County Galway in the West of Ireland, and grew up with his parents and seven brothers and sisters across the street from a small church. As a young child, he was inspired by churchgoers in their Sunday best, and began making clothes and hats for his sisters’ dolls.

As a teenager he moved to Dublin to study fashion at the National College of Art & Design, where he made hats to compliment the clothes he designed in his classes. When he had to arrange for an apprenticeship, he chose to spend six weeks with the London hat designer Stephen Jones. He then went on to the Royal College of Art in London, where he pioneered their millinery program. During his time in London, he met Isabella Blow, who took an immediate liking to Treacy and his hats. They shared an affinity for the eccentric, and she asked him to design a hat for her wedding, in keeping with the medieval theme of her dress.

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Photo Courtesy of David Burton/Associated Press.

School of Fashion guest of honor Sarah Burton was raised and attended school in Manchester, England. She completed foundation courses at Manchester Polytechnic before moving to London to study fashion at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design. While at St. Martin’s, she completed a year-long internship with Alexander McQueen.

After graduating from St. Martin’s in 1997, she returned to McQueen and was subsequently appointed the head of women’s wear in 2000. She worked side by side with McQueen for over 10 years, a valuable learning experience for the young designer. “Everything I know I learnt here. If you didn’t know how to do something, Lee made you take on the challenge and would teach you how, or leave you to figure out how to do it yourself,” she remembers. McQueen trusted her implicitly, even calling her “his secret weapon.”

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Photo Courtesy of Martin Meissner/Associated Press.

In a piece published earlier this week in the New York Times, Exploring the Grace in Lace, fashion journalist Suzy Menkes examines the newfound enthusiasm for lace, sparked by the Royal Wedding. “Since then, there has been a fashion frenzy for lace,” she notes. But it is not the overtly sensual lace one might find in the boudoir that is causing all the commotion – rather, it is a more ladylike lace that has come into fashion. On Spring ’12 runways, we saw delicate lace and eyelet at Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, and Valentino. It was not used so much as an embellishment, but as “a surface texture laid on solid materials,” for an effect that was elegant and graceful, even at times innocent.

Six different laces were used to create the unique appliquéd motifs on the Alexander McQueen dress that Sarah Burton designed for the Duchess of Cambridge. Each type of lace displayed a different symbol of the United Kingdom: the rose of England, Scottish thistles, Welsh daffodils, and Irish shamrocks. The symbols were individually cut from the lace, and hand appliquéd onto the satin organza bodice and train by experts at the Royal School of Needlework, producing a truly stunning effect.

The influence of the dress is undeniable. It sparked a reverence for handcrafts and artistry that has been endangered in recent years, and ushered in a new era of modern elegance, with Kate Middleton leading the charge.

To read the full article, click here.

Photo Courtesy of Leonie Hampton for TIME.

Each year, TIME magazine publishes its list of the 100 Most Influential People – breakouts, moguls, leaders, and icons who’ve made their mark on the world. Included in this year’s select group is Alexander McQueen creative director – and School of Fashion 2012 Guest of Honor – Sarah Burton.

Burton was thrust into the global spotlight the moment that Kate Middleton stepped out in the Alexander McQueen wedding dress that she had designed. The world marveled as Kate walked down the aisle, in an exquisite creation of satin and lace. Sarah Jessica Parker wrote about Burton for TIME, describing her impossible feat: “She did the undoable. A royal wedding dress that could never live up to the impossible dream. But it did.”

There is no doubt that Burton will continue to influence fashion with her awe-inspiring creativity, attention to detail, and expert craftsmanship. And we are so excited that she will be visiting our school!!

Sarah Burton – photographed by her husband, David Burton. Photo Courtesy of Interview Magazine.

In this month’s issue of Interview Magazine, there is a massive profile on Alexander McQueen Creative Director (and one of our May guests) Sarah Burton, and – she mentions our very own Simon Ungless! The article features an interview with Burton, conducted by Sarah Jessica Parker, an ardent McQueen enthusiast. They cover the usual gamut of topics – who is the McQueen woman, the experience of working on the Savage Beauty exhibit at the Met, the Royal Wedding – as well as some things that aren’t as well known, like how Burton got her start at McQueen. This is where Simon comes in:

PARKER: You mention interns, and I know a little bit about how you first came to work with McQueen. Some people might be a little bit curious—or a lot curious—about the beginning.

BURTON: I went to a really academic school, but I always wanted to do fashion, and I was lucky enough to get in [to Central Saint Martins] and my tutor at the time, Simon Ungless, was one of Lee’s best friends, and he said, “Oh yeah, you should go and work for my friend Lee.” So I interned with Lee for a year, went back to college, and then came back. It was really lucky in many ways.

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There are two reasons we tune into The Oscars every year: 1. To see who takes home the gold and 2. To see what everyone is wearing. Film’s biggest night is also a major event in the world of fashion, as starlets step out in dresses fresh from the Spring runways or pulled from the vintage archives. We’ve rounded up some of the most talked about looks from last night. Our favorites were Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford (that cape!) and Jessica Chastain in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

Who did you think was best dressed? Tell us in the comments below!

Shades of Gold. Cameron Diaz in Gucci, Meryl Streep in Lanvin, Kristen Wiig in J. Mendel, Stacy Kiebler in Marchesa.

All White. Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford, Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab, Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji, Rooney Mara in Givenchy Couture.

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