Burton, Sarah

Sarah Burton, née Sarah Jane Heard, (born 1974, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England), English fashion designer who was creative director for the Alexander McQueen label (2010– ).

Heard studied art at Manchester Polytechnic before attending London’s Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. While still in school, she became an intern (1996) at the fashion studio of McQueen, a British designer known for his groundbreaking clothes, shocking catwalk shows, and precise tailoring. When she graduated in 1997, she joined the company full-time. In 2000 Heard was promoted to head of women’s wear, and the company boasted such patrons as actresses Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow. Four years later she married David Burton, a fashion photographer responsible for the company’s “lookbooks.”

After McQueen’s suicide in February 2010, Burton ran the company for a short time before accepting the position of creative director. As such, she became the overseer of both the men’s and women’s lines as well as the accessories collection. She also was tasked with completing the line’s spring-summer and fall-winter collections for Paris Fashion Week, which she did to critical acclaim. Although choosing not to present the elaborate shows that McQueen did, Burton was applauded by critics for staying true to the McQueen house’s dark, edgy brand while adding her own feminine style to the creations.

Catherine Middleton: wedding

Although well known within the fashion industry, Burton earned international attention when in April 2011 she was revealed as the designer of Catherine Middleton’s wedding dress for her marriage to Prince William of Wales. The long-sleeved dress was made of ivory and white satin gazar and had a v-shaped neckline, a fitted waist, an almost 9-foot (2.7-metre) train, and a Victorian corset-style bodice—a trademark McQueen design. Burton also designed the maid of honour’s dress worn by Middleton’s sister, Pippa, as well as a second dress worn by the bride. The designs were widely praised. In November 2011 Burton was named Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council, and the following year she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).