As I ascended on the escalator from Moorgate underground station stood behind a girl wearing a frothy electric-green tulle dress adorned with gaudy white ribbons, I somehow felt settled that I was heading in the right direction for Edward Crutchley's Winter 2024 show.
My first experience of London Fashion Week was a riotous affair. From dashing between shows to slipping into guestlist-only parties and studying cowboy hats and latex on the runway, I soon came to realise why the bi-annual event is such an adrenaline-fuelled highlight for the style set.
Here, read everything I saw - and was stunned by - at London Fashion Week 2024.
What I saw on the runway
Things kicked off on Friday with Edward Crutchley's show, with an intimate runway built beneath the ornate chandeliers at Ironmongers' Hall.
© WWDI had heard that Crutchley's shows were somewhat of a spectacle, but I was wildly underprepared for the ultra-exaggerated silhouettes and bondage-clad cowboys that descended onto the catwalk.
© Jeff SpicerFrom tapestry techniques to tiny sunglasses, AI-made embroidery and Western hats crafted by royal-favourite milliner, Stephen Jones, it couldn't be clearer that maximalism is here to stay.
Sustainability reigned supreme at Patrick McDowell's A/W 24 show on Saturday night; the Liverpool native works solely with recycled and sustainable materials.
© Dave BenettI took my seat at Guildhall School of Music & Drama for 'Orpheus' Ball' amongst a fleet of fashionable show-goers and was blown away by the dazzling performance before me.
In preparation for the show, McDowell delved into the Guildhall costume archive, reinterpreting the dressing etiqutte of composers, and paying homage to historic codes of dress.
© Dave BenettThink repurposed violins as corsets, sheet music hand-printed onto TENCEL fabric and brass cymbals deconstructed for the catwalk. I was mesmerised.
Moving swiftly on to Sunday, Sinead Gorey's A/W 24 collection paid homage to the punky, iPod baring, tartan rocking teens of the noughties.
Everything down to the concealer lips and over-plucked brows of the 2000s were given a renaissance as models strutted down the catwalk at Heaven nightclub.
© Dave Benett19-year-old me would queue for hours in the cold in the hopes of being let into Heaven for a night of pop nostalgia and dance anthems, and yet here I was, joining the snaking queue of London's best-dressed creatives waiting to watch Sinead Gorey's pop punk runway show closed by the city's beloved drag queen Bimini Bon Boulash. Fashion works in mysterious ways.
© Eamonn M. McCormackI later dashed swiftly to the Kimpton Fitzroy, where Helen Anthony's ready-to-wear collection was a healthy hit of dopamine dressing with romantic red tones, canary yellow and forest green taking centre stage.
What I saw from London's best street style
Off the catwalk, show-goers brought their fashion A-game to the city's streets. I always knew London Fashion Week was a chance for sartorial mavens and style influencers to showcase their best looks, but I really had no preconception of just how seriously Fashion Week dressing is taken.
I played it safe for my first show in vintage loafers, a silky brown skirt and an oversized blazer hastily snatched from my dad's wardrobe, but after spying feather-adorned jackets, crochet hoods and fluffy moon boots on London's streets, I knew I could have gone a lot more wild with my look.
© Christian VierigLondoners have fallen in love with layering this season. From contrasting textures to differing tones, layers, layers and more layers was the secret antidote to getting papped this week.
© WWDI have since developed an obsession for red tights and matching Mary Jane pumps after seeing about 1 in 5 It-girls going rogue with ruby-toned hosiery.
© Christian VierigIf Fashion Week has taught me anything, it's to never be without your sunglasses. Be it tiny Y2K specs, vintage aviators or a sleek designer pair, adding a pair of shades is an absolute must for perfecting any Fashion Week look.
© Christian VierigWhile I may have been far from the A-listers gracing the front row, (though I did brush shoulders with Andrew Scott in Mayfair), my seat at several shows in LFW's 40th anniversary schedule was enough to make teenage me internally scream. London Fashion Week, see you in September.
