It may not have been the blockbuster Met exhibition “Savage Beauty” that made its way to Alexander McQueen’s hometown, but the late designer did get another homecoming of sorts yesterday. McQ, the diffusion line to McQueen’s eponymous label (which holds its ready-to-wear shows in Paris), held its first-ever runway show Monday during London Fashion Week.

Crisp fall leaves covered the runway as Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton debuted a new era for the secondary label, which was handed back to the fashion house in late 2010 after a five-year licensing agreement with SINV SpA and was previously known for having more of a sportswear aesthetic that included t-shirts, denim, and casual dresses.

Burton, who has done an excellent job keeping in tune with McQueen’s vision since taking the helm of the label after his 2010 suicide, sought to align McQ with the same artfully crafted look of the primary line, but without the hefty price tag. "This was about a love of McQueen and everything we do," Burton told the Guardian.  The show began with elegantly-tailored utilitarian army-inspired ensembles, then moved on to a sprinkling of tartan — on a coat, dress, and men’s kilt — and continued with the gothic beauty that McQueen was known for. Wide belts cinched waists throughout the collection, and Burton saved the best for the end — black dresses covered in colorful bursts of floral appliqués, and hour-glass-silhouetted gowns embossed with autumn foliage.

The show concluded in the same theatrical form McQueen instilled in many of his runway presentations — model Kristen McMenamy, in a white dress, was showered with leaves before grabbing a white rope and following it backstage, disappearing into an eerie forest cottage. Next, there was an explosion of light and techno beats — a finale we think McQueen himself would have approved of.

Click on the slide show to see highlights from McQ’s fall/winter 2012 show.