Magasin’s pop-up newsletter-within-a-newsletter, where we go on the ground to suss out hot shopping gossip from scenes of interest: London Fashion Week, in partnership with H&M Studio. H&M Studio is the group’s higher-end, design-forward arm, with collections created in its Stockholm atelier and released in limited quantities only twice a year.

Itinerary

Sept 17

10a Land at London Heathrow

11a Check into Hotel Café Royal

11:45a Massage at Akasha

3p Shopping in Soho — Libertys, Perfumer H, window shopping Saville Row, Alex Eagle; I bought myself a fragrance called Rose With Insects, plus Perfumer H’s new deodorant and a “status hand soap” in Rain Wood as gifts.

7p H&M reception + show at Olympia London — a large-format runway designed by the known British quantity, photographer and image-maker, Nick Knight. The collections revealed themselves (despite…further events!!) over several distinct acts: renaissance-romantic, Western glam, a sharp men’s story, and CBK-coded tailoring. The whole experience was more of a theatrical affair than a standard runway, with performances by the Brazilian ballet dancer Ingrid Silva, musician Labrinth (who also designed the soundtrack), and even Alex Consani who played out a love story on stage as a finale to the catwalk. It looked exactly like fashion shows always seemed to me in magazines growing up.

9p Dinner at Café Clement with Sourcewhere’s Erica Wright — a new-ish restaurant from Soho House founder Nick Jones, inside his hotel St. Clement. The hotel anchors the 180 Quarter, an ambitious block-wide project from husband and wife Mark Wadhwa and Alex Eagle that also holds private residences, cocktail lounge Bobbi’s Bar, and cafe-grocery Corner Shop—plus a boutique of Eagle’s.

Sept 18

10:30a Coffee at Shreeji Newsagents

11p Shopping in Marylebone — Jacques Marie Mages, Mouki Mou, M II, Niwaki; Labour & Wait; bought a couple pairs of tiny, carrot-shaped scissors (that are also fridge magnets) as gifts, plus an item from a gardening store that I can’t reveal because it’s research for an upcoming project!

12:30p Lunch at Ottolenghi

2p H&M re-see at Rosewood London — I got the chance to speak with Creative Advisor and Head of Design Ann-Sofie Johansson, who I mined for shopping intel; she specifically cited the vintage store Relik in Notting Hill as a go-to source for old Galliano and McQueen, references that made their way into the collection’s more period-piece laces and corsetry and even its accessories (belt were a big focus this season). She told me her top destination for inspo in London, though, is Dover Street Market—better than the New York one, perhaps because the Comme des Garçons universe that encompasses it tends more British than American.

4p London Design Festival in Brompton Design District — curated this season by Alex Tieghi-Walker, who tapped Rafael Prieto and Beverly Nguyen among others to set up installations at its Cromwell Place venue; spotted works by Laila Gohar, Conie Vallese, Isamaya French, Wretched Flowers, Shane Gabier, and Calico Wallpaper. Plus, a delightful assembly of “One Tool, One Stool” figures by students of the Royal College of Arts.

6p Spa time at Akasha — a sauna, steam, lap pool circuit with intermittent dips into the Jacuzzi, mostly just lying around emailing from my phone in the loungers.

8p Room service at Hotel Café Royal

Outfit

Day one

H&M Studio Tie-Belt Puffer Coat, $199 / H&M Studio Lace-Trimmed Knee-Length Skirt, $89 / H&M Studio Textured-Finish Leather Court Shoes, $169 / H&M Studio Fluffy-Trim Leather Gloves, $89

Day two

H&M Studio Long-Sleeved Cotton Polo Shirt, $44

Several of the H&M pieces that went down the runway launched online at 9pm, the moment the show ended, but the motherload of H&M Studio pieces has just arrived to site today, my own layered sheer skirt and fur-trim puffer coat among them. Having seen it first on stage, then on racks at the re-see, it’s additive to see it on ecomm, too. My wishlist has grown to include a sculptural leather jacket with a chin strap and tie-belt that add styling opportunities, a cheeky wool pencil skirt, and several fringy layers that I am imagining stacked on top of each other.
Pop-up newspapers and zines were everywhere during NYFW: from ALC (I wrote a piece for it), Emily Dawn Long, Kallmeyer (I posed for this one), Vogue Shopping, Nordstrom, Westman Atelier, Coach, even Talbots. And LFW was on the same kick as early as day 1. Shreeji Newsagents—London’s Iconic or Casa Magazines—had a line halfway down the block 5 hours ahead of a giveaway of the new issue of Dazed Magazine plus free Adidas Stan Smiths for the first 100 shoppers.
Did you know Jacques Marie Mage does more than just eyewear? I contemplated at length this eelskin wallet during my appointment at the store, but decided I’d hold out until Paris this October, when the brand is rumored to be debuting its custom frames program (h/t )—I can already confirm (scoop?) it’s announcing its entry into fine jewelry then, too.
Perfumer H was a big supporting character of the week—aside from my own purchases, I gathered intel that the brand is launching its latest fragrance, Clay, tomorrow. I also learned that founder Lyn Harris created a bespoke fragrance for the lobby at St. Clement, lemon-and-orange themed like its signature Clementini cocktail (I had two and half at dinner), available exclusively in person at the gift shop.
A High Touch-y note, and LAST THING about this hotel group, I swear: It’s opening a three-story wellness club this October with a gym, banya, hammam, sauna, steam room, ice baths, treatment rooms, and an 82-foot lap pool. All I can say is…see you again soon, London.

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525: LFW / All the world’s a stage