Clutching a glass of whisky and puffing a cigar as he walked the runway with a female model, Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch was every inch as slick and confident as his detective alter ego. But the 35-year-old has revealed that he found his catwalk debut as part of the inaugural London men’s fashion week ‘terrifying’. “I’ve done far more exposing things in the past and that was without doubt the most nervous I’ve ever been - it was terrifying!” he said about his appearance for luxury tailor Spencer Hart’s spring/summer 2013 show.
Wearing a plush smoking jacket, he joked that he was attempting to channel “a slightly younger, less aged Hugh Hefner.” And he admitted the experience was a real departure from his usual work. “Most actors I know can't stand still shoots. Models are brilliant at pulling a pose and coming out with characters and attitudes," he told GQ. "Actors need continual action in a way - we need to be embroiled in something, like a conversation. But having said that it was good fun - and it’s a great adrenalin rush.”
Meanwhile, designer Richard James brought a riot of colour to London as a fuschia-clad Elton John and Tinie Tempah looked on from the front row. And British Fashion Council spokesperson Alexa Chung sported three different outfits over the course of several hours as she dropped in on three shows. The model and TV presenter arrived for the Lou Dalton show wearing a dark green dress that she had layered with a blue checked shirt. She then took a front row seat next to male model David Gandy at Topshop, this time wearing a beige trench coat and a felt hat. After lunch, she slipped into a leather skirt and jumper ensemble for the Martine Rose runway.