Inside the Alexander McQueen archive

There's nothing quite like a good coffee table book. The kind of book that you pick up to look through on a lazy Sunday and then look up to realise that two hours have passed. This is a beautiful one. A comprehensive catalogue from the V&A's landmark Alexander McQueen retrospective.

Already the V&A's fastest selling exhibition catalogue and includes over 440 striking images, from intimate backstage portraits and editorials by leading fashion photographers to previously unpublished sketches and research boards from the McQueen archive. 

Below are some of the highlights.

Butterfly headdress of hand-painted turkey feathers_Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen, La Dame Bleue, S/S 2008_Model: Alana Zimmer_©Anthea Simms

Tulle and lace dress with veil and antlers, Alexander McQueen, Widows of Culloden, A/W 2006-07_Model: Raquel Zimmerman, VIVA London_Image: Courtesy Swarovski Archive

Bird’s Nest headdress with Swarovski gemstones_Philip Treacy and Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen, Widows of Culloden, A/W 2006-07_Model: Snejana Onopka_Image: Courtesy Swarovski Archive

The exhibition itself runs until 2nd August. The book, we're just saying, will last forever.

And, if a huge retrospective catalogue doesn't quite sate your appetite for all things McQueen, there's two other recently published books on the man himself. Blood Beneath the Skin chronicles his life through interviews with those who knew him best. Gods and Kings follows the a turbulent time in fashion following the rise and fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano.