London Fashion Week – From a Distance

(House of Holland SS14)

It may not be as sleek as its New York, Milan and Paris counterparts (according to the media anyway) but I love the edginess of London Fashion Week and the sense that anything (on or off the catwalk) could happen. With established fashion houses such as Burberry and Paul Smith rubbing shoulders with lesser known up-and-coming designers, London is arguably the most creative and innovative of the fashion capitals.

It is with a slight sense of nostalgia that I’ve been following this season’s proceedings. A few years ago I would have been there in person – not exactly in the front row, but near enough to soak up the atmosphere and see all the action up close. While the live streaming is pretty amazing, the most fun part of fashion week for me was always watching the people in and around the venues. I think you can get as much, if not more, style inspiration from the audience sitting (or standing) around the catwalk as you can from the models walking down it.

One thing I don’t miss, however, is waking up at 6am and agonizing over what to wear to the shows. Especially on a day like today when I’m sitting here wrapped up in a blanket and nursing a cup of hot water with honey and lemon to soothe my sore throat. The definite downside to autumn is the cold and flu viruses that start doing the rounds as soon as the leaves turn yellow.

But enough about my runny nose and on to some of my favourite runway looks from LFW so far: