by This week London Fashion Week returns to town and with it comes intense feelings of FOMO. Watch in envy as the top designers and models go head-to-head in the best of the A-list, while the rest of us are left craning our necks for a glimpse of the good life. But while there are usually only a handful of really cool fashion parties in town – most are off-limits unless you know someone who knows someone – there are plenty of ways to get involved. And why not; 2024 celebrates 40 years of fashion week and out of nearly 120 official LFW events, around a third are open to the public, meaning this mysterious and obscure world is accessible like never before. Beyond the red velvet ropes and elusive catwalks, London Fashion Week continues in the capital’s best bars, hotels and restaurants with plenty of glamorous after-parties. Here, then, is our bluffer’s guide to LFW.
The shows seen at
While the public is generally kept away from the main acts at 180 Strand and Somerset House – home to the British Fashion Council – some small shows offer a glimpse of the glam world. Conde Nast College of Fashion & Design A private viewing of graduate exhibitions should be a good place to start, scouting the next generation of artistic talent at this hallowed design school. Get in fast. Elsewhere, at the Tate, resale giant eBay and host BFC Endless Runwaywhich debuted at New York Fashion Week on September 5. Model Leomie Anderson and eBay style director Amy Bannerman host the event which, like several shows at CNO, will be simulcast live.
Swiss brand Ar Recently announced a partnership with FKA Twigs and on September 16th the brand and artist will come together for a unique show, said to “explore the way we train and move through an immersive art experience” . Given the hype we saw with On’s “spray on shoe” at the Paris Olympics alongside fellow ambassador Zendaya, this one will be packed.
Apart from that, a number of evening events, exhibitions and catwalks take place throughout the week, the best of which include Brazil Creating Fashion for Tomorrow (September 12); Medusa X Fashion Week and City Runway (September 13) and Oxford Fashion Studio x Upstairs at Langan’s (September 14). These evenings are intentionally hard to find, but RSVP through the officialLFW online schedule and you’ll soon be mingling with those in the know. Elsewhere there is the Standard Hotel sending a CIROC vodka residency in partnership with KNWLSthe studio founded by Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault, both graduates of Central St Martins. KNWLS has designed a series of items and collectables and the hotel is hosting parties in Sweeties, Decimo and some of the best terrace rooms, including a book launch by Law Roach for his debut “How To Build A Fashion Icon “. There are details on all this at londonfashionweek.co.uk.
To see the famous people
Every September, movie stars are seen on the Frow but, as NYFW showed, there are likely to be plenty in attendance this season. With everyone from the Jonas Brothers to AJ Tracey performing in London before or during fashion week we can expect to see them attending the best Frows of London shows. Last year we saw the likes of Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Adwoa Aboah, Paloma Elsesser, and this year for 40 years of LFW, don’t be surprised to see Naomi Campbell, FKA Twigs, Stormzy, Maya Jama, David Gandy, Edie. Campbell, Charlie Casely-Hayford and many more. And on the subject of celebrities, if you’re the type to hang out somewhere in the name of an A-list scene, Supriya Lele, Holzweiler, Mains, 16Arlington, JW Anderson and Aaron Esh are on your list.
Party as you were invited
The key to really feeling like you’re living a fashionista’s life is to do it all day; you may not be driven by the driver from show to show, but you can Uber between bits. LFW events have been confirmed by the Standard (WC1H, standardhotels.com), the Hoxton (EC2A, thehoxton.com), and with rumored ex-parties everywhere from One Mayfair Hotel (W1J, 1hotels.com) to the Twenty Two (W1K, thetwentytwo.com), there’s plenty to see and do during the week.
Unlike last year, no official closing party has been announced, and with the location of the LFW40 Icons party tightly under wraps, your best bet is to head to the Silk Road Fashion event at Old Chelsea Town Hall (16 September, SW3, eventbrite.co.uk). You can RSVP to the runway and follow the cool set for a night out on the tiles. Across the UK, the celebration will continue with Celebrations throughout the City. For the first time the program of events, put on with the help of the British Fashion Council, extends to Manchester and Newcastle with over 1000 experiences and activities open to the public from over 350 brands throughout the month (on across the UK, britishfashioncouncil.co .uk).
High style drinking and dining
The joy of LFW is the chance to mingle with the right people — which means I know where they’ll be. There are no guarantees here, but five star hotels are not surprisingly a good place to start. The London Rosewood (WC1, rosewoodhotels.com) has long been known as a low-key A-list hangout (Brad Pitt is often seen). Head to the hotel’s Scarfes Bar and keep your eyes peeled. Otherwise, our money is on the likes of it the Broadwick (W1F, broadwicksoho.com), which has already seen a glut of celebs since opening, At Sloane (SW1W, atsloane.com) and who the NoMad (WC2E, hilton.com) once a favorite of the fashion chain, has since been bought by Hilton, which could put a damper on its street cred. Instead, you could try the new one from the Maybourne Group (Claridge’s et al), the Emory (SW1X, the-emory.co.uk) or the London Edition (W1T, editionhotels.com).
For restaurants, try Rita on (W1F, ritasdining.com) – Dua Lipa loves it – LPM (W1K, lprestaurants.com) – Harry Styles is said to be a favorite – the Dover (W1S,thedoverrestaurant.com) – everyone’s favorite – and the new party palace Ambassadors Clubhouse (W1D, ambassadorsclubhouse.com), before heading downstairs into the new clubby bar space (it stays open until 3am).
Every year Perfect Magazine hosts a kneeling, and this year Dovetale (W1J, 1hotels.com) to be the venue. The guest list is officially closed but with the likelihood of a swanky Mayfair after-party quite high, heading here on a Sunday night feels like a good plan. Elsewhere, the elegant Dorchester Vesper bar (W1K, dorchestercollection.com) has a steady flow of A-list names popping in for a drink and if you’re a member, Annabel’s (W1J, annabels.co.uk) and the George (W1K, georgeclub.com) always busy with celebrities and fashionistas.
Nearby Nipperkin (W1J, 20berkeley.com) also great to go near the glamor and around the corner, the Prada-owned March 1824 (W1K, pasticceriamarchesi.com) draws a stylish set. Otherwise, try Viajante87 (W11, viajantebar.com), the Red Room at the Connaught (W1K, the-connaught.co.uk) and Stormzy’s House Party (W1F,thehouse.party), who could host an under-the-radar rave with a bit of luck. See you there.
