Special Dispatch - LFW AW26
My first leg of fashion month is completed and let's see wjat is ahead of us for the next season
I probably have said this before, but I love London Fashion Week with tender love because it always feels like homecoming - the first fashion show I ever attended was here, and my introduction to the industry was also here. So, despite the fact that it is now probably the smallest, the shows are sometimes badly organised and made of sticks and straw, a lot of the industry people shun it these days, it is still the most creative one for me.
This season I kept my schedule small and tight, going to things I really care about and not everything, as I used to before (ageing is truly a blessing). Here are my highlights from the season AW26.
Actually, my first stop upon arriving in London was the Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery—this time dedicated to his drawings and sketches, but also featuring some of his larger paintings—examining the process of preparation and research he would undertake before beginning work. I love his portraits and the meticulous attention he paid to the depiction of clothes and hair in particular.
I then attended an intimate dinner for a Turkish brand, My Best Friends, hosted by Sophia Roe. The brand has kindly sent me a suit to wear, and I have to report that the quality is outstanding. I did get obsessed with Lydia Zacharis’ dress (it has an open back!), though - it is not yet online, but I would keep an eye out.
I then had the pleasure of Asia Typek visiting me at home to take some pictures for her series “At home with...”.
The first day of shows started with Sinead Gorey's show - I love supporting Irish designers, and there are quite a few really talented ones showing in London now (and not only in London - there’s Maria McManus in NYC, who showed a stunning collection during fashion week there, and also our genius Jonathan Anderson). The show was fun, young and with a bad-ass energy, but I had a feeling my old ass is too old for this.
After that, I went to Bond Street to check out the new collections—and I have to report that Pierpaolo’s Balenciaga looks divine in person, and that Versace is a lot of fun and also chic, but quite pricey… Also, that Barbara bag by Bottega is actually really soft and squishy and can be worn on the shoulder if you’re not wearing a coat…
Next up for me was the Joseph show, hosted at the Tate Modern. When I had just moved to London, the Joseph stores—then multibrand—were a kind of Mecca before online shopping and Matches took over. Incidentally, the last show the brand held was in 2017 under the leadership of Louise Trotter, who is now at the head of Bottega Veneta (via Lacoste, via Carven). I’m not sure whether the multibrand side is still going, but the brand itself went a bit flat for a while, and I hope this new chapter injects some fresh life into it, as it is still a bulletproof destination for a minimalist wardrobe. The show looks were sleek, if perhaps a touch overstyled.
The next day started with Karoline Vitto, seemingly the only designer who still truly embraces body positivity in her work and on the catwalk. The beautiful draped looks were very complimentary on the body, and the few silhouettes that ventured into tailoring looked good—especially considering how tricky it is to fit tailoring on a plus-size model on a tight pre-show schedule. Bravo.
Next up was the highlight of London Fashion Week—the Completedworks show. Every season, Anna Jewsbury, the founder of the quirky jewellery brand, reinvents the idea of how to present jewellery without it being boring—just as she does with her pieces and her homeware line. We’ve seen Joanna Lumley reading books, Debi Mazar presenting a TV shopping programme. This time, it was Jemima Kirke as an unhinged hostess teaching us how to make Bloody Marys with her fake friends. It was smart and brilliant.
I then went to see Masha Popova showing her cool kids in her signature denim, with the collection also expanding into 80s-inspired leather jackets, bombers and coats—cheekily open at the back to show the models’ bums.
The final show of the day for me was the beloved Toga Archives—the Japanese brand with a very particular aesthetic and approach to silhouettes and textures that I came to admire a long time ago. The AW26 season is full of inventive layering and cool accessories.
My last day in London was Sunday, and I started it with the ever-elegant Emilia Wickstead show. Tweeds, knee-length skirts and ball gowns—everything a woman with a big country house might need.
My last show was an all-time favourite and another Irish talent, Simone Rocha. For that, we trekked up to North London, where it was hosted at Alexandra Palace. As I was flying out of Heathrow straight after the show (and it being delayed by 40 minutes), I watched it literally on the edge of my seat, so I didn’t even properly enjoy it—but I remember it looking more mature, more complex and stunningly beautiful. The Adidas collaboration will surely be a huge success and, hopefully, give the brand a big financial boost, which I imagine is much needed for an independent label in this climate.
I missed Burberry as I was already in Copenhagen that day, but I actually quite liked it. I think Daniel Lee is finally finding his footing and, as Burberry is essentially an outerwear brand, he fully embraced that—the offering looks strong. It’s interesting, though, how I can spot little bits of Phoebe Philo here and there. It never ceases to amaze me how influential she is.
LOOKS
Keep going for the nicest leather trousers, the super-funky swimsuit, my favourite bag for carrying a laptop, a great leather jacket, and some other bits and bobs…
10 GOOD THINGS
I had these trousers on a shoot recently, and they are made of the softest, buttery leather with sucha good fit I nearly wanted to keep them. In my opinion, not many things say ‘luxury’ (in the best way) than anything else. They also come with a special care product which I thought was a lovely touch.
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