Focus of Met Costume Institute's 2011 Gala Will Be McQueen

The annual gala opening the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's exhibit always draws fashion's heavy-htiters, and next year's fete will no doubt be even more explosive, thanks to the theme of next year's exhibit: "Alexander MQueen: Savage Beauty."

Since the designer's untimely death in February, McQueen's dresses have become the subject of cult-like devotion among fashion insiders and laymen alike. The Costume Institute's annual party has become, in many ways, the fashion community's biggest red carpet night (last year's dresses ranged from a Zac Posen meringue to a light-up Katy Perry), and adding a McQueen tribute to the mix will no doubt up both the fashion ante and the emotional energy at the event.

According to WWD, the exhibit -- which runs May 4 through July 31, with the benefit gala on May 2 -- will include pieces collected from a slew of sources: McQueen's graduate collection at Central St. Martins, selections from his tenure at Givenchy, custom-made items from the closet of Isabella Blow, and more. There'll even be a "Cabinet of Curiosities" including pieces McQueen made in collaboration with fellow designers like Philip Treacy.

As Andrew Bolton, who is spearheading the exhibit, told WWD, "“After McQueen’s death, we wanted to stage an exhibition to celebrate his legacy in fashion history and his contributions to fashion ... McQueen had such a singular voice and he was a remarkable technician."

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