It would be a considerable understatement to say that the past 15 months have been a turbulent ride for the Alexander McQueen brand.

The suicide of its founder — the inimitable designer known to friends as "Lee" McQueen — in February of last year left the fashion world devastated by the loss of one of their most irreverent and precocious talents. Then, just a mere month later, the house revealed its Fall 2010 collection in Paris, a beautiful showing that introduced even industry insiders for the first time to Sarah Burton, McQueen's longtime right hand, who was named creative director of the company in May 2010.

Now, in a surprising twist of fate, it is the modest and little-known Burton who has presided over two of the brand's greatest publicity coups to date: the design of Kate Middleton's bridal gown, seen by billions in what will surely be remembered as one of the most iconic royal weddings of all time; and the opening of a landmark McQueen retrospective, "Savage Beauty," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. That exhibit was feted last week at Vogue's annual Met Gala, one of the New York social calendar's most glamorous affairs.

And so far, even with the high stakes involved, Burton has more than held her own.Continue reading...

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"Sarah Burton" is a top Google search term for one (long tail) reason: Alexander McQueen's hand-picked successor designed the dress that accompanied Kate Middleton from commoner to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. (And sealed the deal with a post-wedding dress.) Check out more of Burton's designs here. The Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum pays tribute to McQueen in a well-timed exhibition that opens on May 4th.

The other big sartorial search related to the royal wedding involves the British royals' penchant for fascinators and Philip Treacy's out-there headwear, which didn't disappoint today.