New York Fashion Week kicked off with excitement on Thursday as BCBG Max Azria presented the Fall / Winter 2010 collection in Bryant Park. But the shows were quickly overshadowed by the tragic news of Alexander McQueen‘s untimely death as a dark cloud fell over fashion week.

Excitement and anticipation was quickly replaced by shock and devastation as the news of Alexander McQueen’s suicide spread like wildfire around the tents at Bryant Park in the midst of the BCBG show. Contrary to reports that Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour got up and ran out mid-show as soon as she received a text with the news. An associate who sat across from her clarified that Wintour waited for the runway show to complete, but ran out prior to the final bow.

The McQueen store, located in the Meatpacking District, is 1 block away from Milk Studios in Manhattan, where a number of shows are being held. I walked over after a show on Thursday to pay my respects to one of the greatest masters of the fashion universe.

The store had been closed since news broke and its windows covered with white paper. The store has since reopened as fans have created a makeshift shrine to the fashion genius with flowers and notes. In the center was a card that simply said, “Long Live McQueen.”

On Thursday I attended the Ports 1961 show, which held a moment of silence in honor of McQueen prior to the shows start. In addition, Cushnie et Ochs included a tribute note in their show’s program, and at the LnA after party Patti Smith dedicated her performance to the designer.

Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, Katy Perry, Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham, Sandra Bullock, Dita Von Teese, Rachel Zoe, Kate Moss, and Naomi Campbell are just some of the celebrity sartorial types to pay tribute to the late, great Alexander McQueen.

Here’s what they had to say:

Madonna: Lee McQueen was a truly unique visionary in the world of fashion. A creator of beauty. What a tragedy.

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief, Vogue: “We are devastated to learn of the death of Alexander McQueen, one of the greatest talents of his generation. He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen’s influence was astonishing—from street style to music culture and the world’s museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss.”

Sarah Jessica Parker: “I am shocked and overcome with grief upon learning about the untimely death of the quiet genius Alexander McQueen. My heart goes out to his family and all those who worked for and with him. In his atelier, his showroom, his stores and various business interests that were so rapidly growing, he was beloved. By all of them. He was talented well beyond his years and the seriousness and unrivaled talent  which he applied to his work is in bountiful display year after year and collection after collection. Every single inspired, original, lofty, whimsical, stunning, brilliant and jaw dropping detail was Alexander Mcqueen. There has never been anyone like him. And there simply never will be. What is more devastating is that despite all his success thus far, creatively, critically and commercially, his greatest achievements lay ahead of him. The future would be whatever he hoped to make of it. His independence, his skill, his quiet fortitude, his devotion, his love of his work, family and friends will be an unthinkable loss. And the vigilance with which he protected his work and those he loved was both incredibly powerful and quietly heart rending. In my brief but honored time spent with him I learned he would never let even the tiniest and seemingly inconsequential detail be unfinished. That’s why his death is so haunting. God speed Lee. It has been a privilege for all of us to know you. You will be indescribably missed.”

Naomi Campbell: “I am truly devastated to lose my close friend. His talent had no boundaries and he was an inspiration to everyone who worked with him and knew him. This is a sad day to all who loved him around the world and my condolences are with his family. I will miss him so much, he will never be forgotten.”

Victoria Beckham: “Today, the fashion industry has lost a true great. An icon of all time. He made all he touched beautiful and will be desperately missed. My heart is very much with his family and friends at this very sad time.”

Daphne Guinness: “He was the kindest, shiest, funniest person. And when the chips were down, he was there. He wasn’t a flake. You could count on him. I will miss him.”

Designers

Donatella Versace: “Alexander McQueen… The fashion world has not only lost an icon but we have also lost a very special friend”

Philip Treacy: “In a world where every man and his dog is a designer, Alexander McQueen was the real deal. His talent was supersonic.”

Jean Paul Gaultier: “I am really saddened by Lee’s passing on a human level, but also on the artistic one,” said Jean Paul Gaultier. “A great talent has left us and we will miss him and everything that he has done for fashion.”

Stella McCartney: “Lee was a fashion genius. I don’t say that lightly, and it is a total shock that I am referring to him in the past tense. He was a real friend. I will miss him as a mate, a peer, and as a true British talent, full of life and energy in everything he ever did.”

Giorgio Armani: “This news has come as a shock and greatly saddened me. The world has lost a very talented young man whom I have always respected for his outstanding genius.”

Marc Jacobs: “He is such a great guy and such an amazing talent that it is so devastating to know he is gone. I will miss him, and I will certainly miss the beauty that he created, and his vision and his world.”

Jeremy Scott: “I AM FILLED WITH SO MUCH SADNESS TODAY I CAN NOT STOP CRYING MCQUEEN HAD BEEN SOMEONE I LOOKED UP TO IN SCHOOL AND GOT TO KNOW AS I STARTED”

Other Industry Figures:

Robert Duffy: “Very sad day for all.Yes we both knew him.Worked at LVMH together.Marc (Jacobs) and I were crying earlierTold each other how much we love each other.”

Rachel Zoe: “I cant describe the tragic loss of such a brilliant man and designer Alexander McQueen..R.I.P xoRZ”

Domenico De Sole: “I loved him. He used to come to the house for dinner — he knew Eleanor and my girls well. At the last McQueen show I went to, the fall 2004 collection, he came up to me and hugged me, and he was crying. He was very upset that I was leaving. He was shy, but once you got to know him he was very open and he had a great sense of humor — he used to make fun of people. He was also a very decent man: He was unbelievably nice to all of the seamstresses in the factory in Novara [Italy] who made his collection. He treated them well and they loved him. He was just a fabulous person.”

Images courtesy of Chrissy Dooley (Famespy)