Two weeks before the Alexander McQueen show, Sarah Burton announced her departure from the house she has served for 26 years. In 2010, after the death of Lee McQueen, she became its creative director. Burton staged her final show in Le Carreau du Temple, where she often set up her makeshift studio at Paris Fashion Week, and left a single departing note on every seat. “This collection is inspired by female anatomy, Queen Elizabeth I, the blood red rose and Magdalena Abakanowicz, a transgressive and powerfully creative artist who refused ever to compromise her vision. The show is dedicated to the memory of Lee Alexander McQueen, whose wish was always to empower women, and to the passion, talent and loyalty of my team.”