Fashionable travelers who flocked to last night's launch party for the Samsonite Black Label line, designed by Alexander McQueen, had the chance to walk away with something much more memorable than a mere piece of luggage. They could have caught bronchitis from the man himself.

"Unfortunately, I'm quite sick at the moment," McQueen croaked when it was his turn to speak. He displayed his new suitcases, which resemble the ribs and spine of a very, very skinny model. "Fashion is sacrificial," he explained. "I'll give my body over to the general public whether they want it or not! I don't care!" He may have been offering his body, but the fashion editors in attendance didn't want it. They were keen to touch and photograph the collection, but they kept their distance from the sweating, pallid designer.

After his very brief talk, McQueen packed his own Samsonite luggage into a limo and left to recover in London.

— Faran Alexis Krentcil