As usual for the end of September, the Paris runways are rife with anticipation. This time, however, October 5 is the date on everyone’s lips, the day Sarah Burton will bow her first main collection for Alexander McQueen. No small feat to follow in the footsteps of a man revered my most as one of the greatest geniuses to pick up fabric shears, but Burton seems to be up to the challenge. The yang to McQueen’s ying, she has spent her entire fashion career at the designer’s side. In fact, the biggest lesson learned from her very first interview is that it pays to intern! A young, precocious Burton joined the team as an underling 14 years ago, while still finishing her St Martins’ degree, and soon found herself whisked from a dingy basement in East London to a luxurious Givenchy atelier in Paris. With her resort collection, Burton has already proved she can cut with the best of them and we’re eager to bask in the full experience. Sadly, not reappearing, are the show’s theatrics—that was 100% Lee.