Alexander McQueen memorial.

Fashion's royalty paid their final respects to the late designer Alexander McQueen yesterday in an incredible pageant of his creations.

The 40-year-old designer — real name Lee McQueen — was titled British designer of the year four times between 1996 and 2003 and was additionally awarded the CBE for his work in the fashion industry.

Family and friends took a break from London Fashion Week, to pay homage to McQueen by wearing his eccentric designs.

Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss united with actress Sarah Jessica Parker, designer Stella McCartney and American Vogue editor Anna Wintour for the stirring ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Throughout the ceremony, Anna Wintour paid tribute to a 'complex and gifted young man' who transported his fans 'into a world of sensation where you could be shocked, repulsed or thrilled'.

One of Alexander McQueen's long-time muses, heiress Daphne Guinness, wore a vintage McQueen dress with towering high black platform boots from his Autumn/Winter 09 collection.

“It was a life lived in the public gaze, but it was as vulnerable and retiring as it was glamorous,” the reverend said. “Despite the dazzle of his world, he never forgot his East End roots and how much he owed to his loved ones.”