London Fashion Week returns to town this week, and with it comes feelings of intense FOMO. We watch with envy as the biggest names in fashion mingle with the chicest A-list, while the rest of us stick our necks out for a glimpse of the good life. But while there tend to be only a handful of truly great fashion parties in the city - most are off-limits if you don't know anyone who knows anyone - there are plenty of ways to get involved. And why not; 2024 marks 40 years of Fashion Week, and of the almost 120 official LFW events, around a third are open to the public, meaning this mysterious and elusive world is more accessible than ever before. As well as the red velvet ropes and impossible-to-catch catwalks, London Fashion Week takes over the capital's best bars, hotels and restaurants with a plethora of glamorous afterparties. Here, then, is our bluffer's guide to LFW.
The shows that can be seen on
While audiences typically stay away from the headline acts at 180 Strand and Somerset House (home of the British Fashion Council), some smaller shows offer a glimpse of the glamorous life. The Conde Nast College of Fashion & Design private viewing of graduate exhibitions should be a good place to start, looking for the next generation of artistic talent at this hallowed design school. Act fast. Elsewhere, on the Tate, Resale giants eBay and the BFC host Endless runway which debuted on September 5 during New York Fashion Week. Model Leomie Anderson and eBay style director Amy Bannerman will host the event, which, like a number of NYCFW shows, will be livestreamed simultaneously.
Swiss brand On recently announced a partnership with FKA Twigs , and on September 16, the brand and the artist are coming together for a one-of-a-kind show that will reportedly "explore the way we exercise and move through an immersive art experience." Given the hype we saw with On's "spray on shoe" at the Paris Olympics with co-ambassador Zendaya, it's going to be packed.
Furthermore, during the week there are a number of evening events, exhibitions and catwalks, the best of which are: Brazil creates fashion for tomorrow (September 12); Medusa X Fashion Week and the city's catwalk (September 13) and Oxford Fashion Studio x Upstairs at Langan's (September 14). These hard-to-find nights are deliberately elusive, but RSVP via the official LFW schedule online and you'll soon be mingling with those in the know. Elsewhere the Standard hotel launches a CIROC vodka residence in collaboration with KNWLS the studio founded by Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault, both graduates of Central St Martins. KNWLS has designed a range of in-room merchandise and collectables, and the hotel is hosting parties in Sweeties, Decimo and some of its best terrace suites, including a book launch from Law Roach for his debut How To Build A Fashion Icon. Details for all of this can be found at londonfashionweek.co.uk.
The celebrities to spot
Every September, movie stars turn up at the Frow, but as NYFW has shown, this season there's likely to be a lot of them in attendance. With everyone from the Jonas Brothers to AJ Tracey performing in London before or during fashion week, we can expect to see them grace the Frows of London's best shows. Last year we saw the likes of Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Adwoa Aboah, Paloma Elsesser, and this year, marking 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 more. And speaking of celebrities, if you're the type to hang out in the open for an A-list sighting, put Supriya Lele, Holzweiler, Mains, 16Arlington, JW Anderson and Aaron Esh on your list.
Party like you're invited
The key to really feeling like you're living the fashionista life is to do it all day; you might not be chauffeured from show to show, but you can still Uber between shows. LFW events are confirmed for the Standard (WC1H, standardhotels.com), the hoxton (EC2A, thehoxton.com), and with rumours of afterparties everywhere One Hotel Mayfair (W1J, 1hotels.com) to the twenty-two (W1K, thetwentytwo.com), there's plenty to see and do throughout the week.
Unlike last year, there is no official closing party announced and since the location of the LFW40 Icons party is top secret, it's best to head to the Silk Road Fashion event on Chelsea Old Town Hall (16th September, SW3, eventbrite.co.uk). You can sign up for the catwalk and follow the cool set for a night out on the tiles. Festivities continue across the UK with City-wide celebrations For the first time, the events programme, curated with the help of the British Fashion Council, is expanding to Manchester and Newcastle with over 1,000 experiences and activities open to the public throughout the month from more than 350 brands (in the UK, britishfashioncouncil.co.uk).
Drink and dine in style
A big part of the joy of LFW is the chance to mingle with the right people - which means you know where they'll be. There are no guarantees here, but five-star hotels are unsurprisingly a good place to start. The Rosewood London (WC1, rosewoodhotels.com) has long been known as a low-key A-list hangout (Brad Pitt has been spotted there on several occasions). Head to the hotel's Scarfes Bar and keep your eyes peeled. Otherwise, we'll put our money on the likes of the broadwick (W1F, broadwicksoho.com), which has attracted a plethora of celebrities since it opened, At Sloane's (SW1W, atsloane.com) and while the NoMad (WC2E, hilton.com) was once a fashion-world favorite but has since been bought by Hilton, which may put a damper on its street cred. Instead, 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).
As for restaurants, try Rita is (W1F, ritasdining.com) - Dua Lipa loves it - LPM (W1K, lpmrestaurants.com) - reportedly Harry Styles' favorite - the Dover (W1S, theedoverrestaurant.com) - everyone's favorite - and new to the party palace Ambassadors Clubhouse (W1D, ambassadorsclubhouse.com), before heading downstairs to the new club-style bar area (which stays open until 1am).
Every year Perfect Magazine organizes a 'knees-up', and this year Pigeon tail (W1J, 1hotels.com) is the location. The guest list is officially closed, but with the chance of a posh Mayfair afterparty pretty high, it feels like a good plan to head there on Sunday night. Elsewhere, the elegant Dorchester Vesper bar (W1K, dorchestercollection.com) has a steady stream of A-list names dropping in for a drink and if you're a member, Annabel's (W1J, annabels.co.uk) and the George (W1K, georgeclub.com) are always busy with celebrities and fashionistas.
In the neighborhood Fast (W1J, 20berkeley.com) is also ideal for getting close to the glamour and around the corner, the Prada property Marquis 1824 (W1K, pasticceriamarchesi.com) draws a stylish set. Otherwise try Viajante87 (W11, viajantebar.com), the red room at Connaught (W1K, the-connaught.co.uk) and Stormzy's House party (W1F,thehouse.party), who with a bit of luck will organize an under-the-radar rave. See you then.
