Jefferson Hack and Sarah Burton host an exclusive party to celebrate the launch of the exquisite new Alexander McQueen flagship store
Tonight saw fashion industry icons including Aymeline Valade, Alister Mackie, Katy England and Stephen Jones come together to celebrate the opening of Alexander McQueen's new Parisian flagship store on Rue Saint-Honoré, with an exclusive party hosted by Jefferson Hack and Sarah Burton. Held immediately after the Alexander McQueen S/S16 fashion show – an extravaganza of diamond-studded body harnesses, razor-sharp tailoring and ruffle-trim dresses – the event transformed music venue Le Divan du Monde in the heart of Paris' Pigalle district into an opulent reflection of the house itself.
Drawing inspiration from the brand's exquisite fabrications and diverse historical references, the converted theatre, once a bohemian brasserie patronised by the likes of Charles Baudelaire, became a thrilling and ornate soiree, complete with a cabinet of curiosities and velvet-lined chaise longues.
The venue was divided into two distinct moods, the ground floor presented a more masculine scene, decorated with low-lit antique lamps and a bar serving Caipiroscas and grapefruit vodka cocktails. While upstairs, attendees were welcomed into a pink-carpeted feminine paradise, as dapper bus boys in pristine white suits served sweet Bellinis and appletinis. Immersive mood lighting took guests through tripartite phases of the evening; a warm introductory glow made way for dramatic monochrome beams as Savages stormed the stage – and, later into the evening, the space was electrified with bright blue spotlights as Arca commenced his DJ set.
"We brought our favourite new performers and some of our oldest friends together to show Paris Fashion Week the way to really throw a party." – Jefferson Hack
“We brought our favourite new performers and some of our oldest friends together to show Paris Fashion Week the way to really throw a party,” explained Dazed co-founder Jefferson Hack – and with an energetic live set played by Savages alongside the record-spinning skills of genre-defying, gender-blurring producer Arca, the guests danced their way into the early hours.
It was a fitting blend of London spirit and Parisian panache; the perfect reflection of the house's renowned ability to combine the classic with the contemporary, and the familiar with the subversive – the same codes that mark the flagship store itself.
