Fit for a McQueen

Janet Jackson, Jason Lewis and Beth Ditto come out to celebrate the opening of designer Alexander McQueen's new Los Angeles boutique

By Marc Malkin May 14, 2008 8:57 PMTags
Beth Ditto, Janet Jackson, Alexander McQueenPacificCoastNews.com,Todd Williamson/WireImage.com

Janet Jackson was at last night’s opening of Alexander McQueen’s new store in Los Angeles. So were Balthazar Getty, Eve, Anthony Kiedis, Ioan Gruffudd and Sex and the City hunk Jason Lewis.

But the spotlight was definitely centered on Beth Ditto and her band, Gossip.

The singer's five-song set was hands-in-the-air fun! She wore custom McQueen: a form-hugging red sequined bodysuit (later changing into a rainbow colored butterfly-printed chiffon number); she swiped cigarettes from fans so she could smoke while singing; she grabbed a photographer’s camera to take some pics and even climbed on top of a very unsteady table to rally the crowd to sing along with her.

But even the 27-year-old has her limits...

When someone offered her a glass of bubbly, she politely declined, explaining, “I have to go to Arkansas tomorrow. It’s my brother’s graduation.”

McQueen’s shop sits on Melrose Avenue, just steps away from other high-end boutiques, like Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg stores.

If last night was any indication, Mr. McQueen is going to have no trouble fitting in.

Within minutes of arriving, I spotted Rebecca De Mornay whipping out a credit card to buy a $315 black pashmina-like wrap with outlines of red skulls. She wore it for the rest of the evening.