Kate Moss attending McQueen's funeral in February 2010. Photo : Corbis

LONDON, Sept 20, 2010 AFP © - Models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell joined the elite of the fashion world on Monday at a memorial service for influential British designer Alexander McQueen.

Moss wore a black leather dress with a plunging neckline and stilettos for the service at St Paul's Cathedral in London for the designer who committed suicide in February.

Campbell wore a black outfit complete with platform boots and sunglasses while "Sex in the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker donned a cream dress with a black frock coat.

US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour said in an address at the service that McQueen transported his fans "into a world of sensation where you could be shocked, repulsed or thrilled".

McQueen was "special" because he designed the "most exquisite couture dresses and at the same time had a real impact on how the world dressed", Wintour told hundreds of McQueen' relatives, friends and colleagues.

Quirky Icelandic pop star Bjork, dressed as a cream-coloured bird with a feather skirt and wings, sang a version of Billie Holiday's "Gloomy Sunday" at the service.

McQueen was one of Britain's most successful fashion exports, rising from a modest background in east London to become chief designer at Givenchy, where he shocked the Paris fashion world with his outlandish creations.

He later gained a dedicated following with his eponymous label, producing designs that broke with convention but were always beautifully tailored.

The 40-year-old's body was found in a wardrobe in his central London flat in February, the day before his mother's funeral.

An inquest heard he took cocaine, sleeping pills and tranquillisers before hanging himself.

McQueen, who felt under pressure from work, had a history of self-harming and a depressive disorder and had taken two previous overdoses before his death.

The memorial service came in the middle of London Fashion Week, which runs until Wednesday.