Does it live up to the hype? It does ... it's ravishing, utterly spell-binding, the fashion show of the century. Even bigger and better - so they say, I wouldn't know - than when it was on in New York.

Savage Beauty, the long-awaited Alexander McQueen show at the V&A makes you feel as if you've disappeared down a rabbithole to find yourself in an alien world of strange, beautiful creatures.

It's exquisite, macabre - and it feels like being immersed in some extraordinary theatrical performance. (In my case, with a walk-on role as Boring Middle-Aged Person in a Raincoat.)

But in this alternative universe, inhabited by people 10inches taller and many stones lighter, there are gowns of clamshells and crimson feathers, a coat of golden goose-feathers, jackets embroidered with human hair and slippers embroidered with gold bullion ...

I spent nearly an hour sitting in the colossal, black-lacquered Cabinet of Curiosities, marvelling at headdresses like branches of coral and animal horns -

I coveted an exquisite Philip Treacy bird's nest hat made of mallard wings and jewelled eggs -

Learned a new word. Plumassier - 

And caught my breath at the wraith-like apparition of Kate Moss who made me think of Catherine Earnshaw rising from her grave.

I'm not sure whether the V&A is strictly controlling the throughput of visitors or whether I was extraordinarily lucky this afternoon (I got there at about 3.30) because there was space to stroll and sit and marvel - and for a few moments at the end of the afternoon, I was all alone in the Cabinet of Curiosities. I'd love to go back, but it wouldn't be the same experience shuffling round in a crowd.

This is a purely visual exhibition. It tells you almost nothing about McQueen. I liked that. I get distracted by words and labels. Being a word-y kind of person, I don't have the self-discipline to ignore the outpouring of too much information.

It was like walking through a work of art - and for once I didn't need to read all about it.