Although the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute won’t open until May 4, a preview was held by Anna Wintour at the Ritz in London this morning (not coincidentally, the same venue where Alexander McQueen showed his first postgraduate show). Also in attendance were Samantha Cameron, Sarah Burton, and Stella McCartney, a longtime friend of McQueen’s and co-chair for this year’s Costume Institute Ball. Since many pieces in the exhibit were culled from the McQueen archives in London, the event was a chance for the Americans to thank the Brits for lending the clothes to the Met, as well as to praise McQueen on his home turf. Of course, it was also an opportunity to start hyping this year’s Met Ball, as Cameron did in her speech: “I’m sure that the party on the second of May will be a very, very special night.”

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty [Vogue UK]