If London Fashion Week catwalk shoes are hard to get into, then after-party tickets are like gold dust. So what actually does go down at these elusive events?
Well, we headed to River Island Fashion Film party at the exclusive Serpentine Sackler Gallery, followed by Maybelline’s Bring On The Night Party at The Scotch of St James, to find out.
Here’s what we learned on a couple of nights out with the fash pack.
1. Fashion Week party security guards can be pretty tetchy
Faced with a mass of well-heeled industry insiders huddled at the gallery entrance, the security staff won’t let anyone pass until they get the nod from the clipboard-wielding PR people. They’re the ones who hold the guestlist and the all-important wristbands – which get checked again before you get through the door.
2. The bar queue isn’t all that glamorous
Early on in the evening black-clad waiting staff proffer trays of Chambord cocktails, but these are quickly snapped up. Then it’s an unceremonious 15-minute wait at the bar where queues are five fashionistas deep. ALL the drinks are free though, of course.
3. People-watching takes up most of the night
Wandering round the cavernous gallery, which has been stripped of art for the occasion, guests eye each other eagerly, trying to work out who’s famous and who’s not – which doesn’t exactly make for a welcoming atmosphere.
4. The clothes envy is real
It’s a very well-dressed crowd, in a stereotypically ‘fashion pack’ sort of way – for every glam girl in a hanky hem dress there’s an East London-dwelling hipster in too-short trousers and a beanie hat (the guy in the Larry David T-shirt gets our vote for best dressed).
5. No one goes to the parties for the reasons they’re put on
We’re here, ostensibly, for the premiere of a bunch of short films to promote collaborative collections at the high street retailer, but when the music goes down and the videos are projected on the white walls there doesn’t seem to be a whole load of people paying attention.
6. It’s important to leave fashionably early
After Pixie Geldof and band have performed (and the pizza has circulated) the DJ starts spinning disco hits. By this time it seems the poseurs have left and the vibe is a lot more relaxed, but rumour has it the bar is about to run dry. Time to make an exit – sharpish.
7. Drinks aren’t the only freebies going
There’s no shortage of booze the next night at Maybelline’s Bring On The Night Party at The Scotch of St James, where a flock of male models has been hired to hand out sickly sweet pink cocktails and mini bottles of prosecco. There are also trays full of lipstick for the taking, and the weirdest (but also coolest) freebie we’ve ever seen at a Fashion Week party: piercings.
Reps from jeweller Maria Tash are offering a menu of “mementos” of the night, and there’s already a lengthy queue forming (tiny gold hoop through the top of the ear, thanks).
8. The celebrity spotting is strong
When party host Victoria’s Secret angel Adriana Lima arrives she heads straight to the piercing booth, as a trio of boy models ogle her from the bar. She’s quickly whisked downstairs to the cordoned off VIP area where she’s joined by Brit model Jourdan Dunn and rapper Tinie Tempah.
A load of other celebrities, from B-list (Daisy Lowe, the Saturdays’ Vanessa White) downwards (the usual Made In Chelsea suspects) have squeezed into the club, but by the time it gets to midnight they’ve all long since departed.
9. But no one really lets their hair down
That’s the thing about fashion parties. You get the sense that half the people are there only to be seen or get papped, so they stay for about five minutes and don’t actually relax and have a good time.
But sometimes – as with the Maybelline do – there’s serious fun to be had.
Our advice, should you find yourself with an invite to a stylish soiree? Make friends with the bar staff (they’re probably the nicest people in the place), load up on the freebies and hit the dance floor as soon as possible.
Leave the posing to the poseurs (and the Z-listers) and you’ll have a much better time…
