WHERE TO GO FOR… FASHION KUDOS
DISCOVER THE HOTELS STYLE INSIDERS DESCEND ON DURING FASHION MONTH
Whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, up your style credentials with a stay at one of these fashion-editor favourites
LE ROCH Paris
Set between the Louvre and L’Opéra, Le Roch is handy for the shows, but away from the main fashion circuit, so you can escape the melee, at least for a while. For such a small hotel, the elegant 37-room property packs a big punch. It has a Codage spa with a hammam (book one of the four Indulgence Suites and you get your own), a compact gym and even a pool – a rare treat in Paris, especially one made from black lava rock. Book a table in the restaurant or the pretty courtyard outside and you can feast on chef Rémy Bérerd’s roasted pigeon or grilled langoustines. Designed by interiors queen Sarah Lavoine, renowned for her love of colour, Le Roch’s interiors really sing with splashes of rich teal and jewel green, all deep-toned and warm – and very catwalk-worthy. Doubles from £380, leroch-hotel.com. Eurostar trains from London to Paris from £79 return
THE GRAND HOTEL Milan
There is something about Milan fashion week that makes you want to go full-on grande dame. Where better to do that than in this 19thcentury former palazzo? Gothic Revival architecture, sweeping staircases, antiques, gilt-framed mirrors… you’ve got the lot. While its room rates might raise an eyebrow, it sits in the heart of the fashion district, opposite the gorgeous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and five minutes from La Scala, and previous guests include two of the grandest dames of them all, Maria Callas and Sophia Loren. The upscale boutiques of boho Brera are just a 1O-minute walk away. Doubles from £770, room only, grandhoteletdemilan.it. British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Milan Linate from around £50 return
THE BILTMORE London
No one said fashion month was easy – the outfits… the parties… the endless waits for the shows to start! So what you really need is a sanctuary to retreat to, where you can recharge. The Biltmore is just that. With 3O7 rooms, it is large but not crowded, and has elegant decor in soothing whites and greys. You’ll find Penhaligon’s products in the lavish bathrooms and there’s just enough lobby action to make you feel you are part of the buzz. The Pine Bar, dark and sultry like all good hotel bars should be, is big on whisky and cocktails, and the unusually named Betterment restaurant is overseen by Michelin-starred Jason Atherton. Most importantly, if you have a wardrobe crisis, Selfridges and the boutiques of Bond Street are just up the road. Doubles from around £550, room only, lxrhotels3.hilton.com
MADE New York
NYFW is a tough one, with shows at both ends of town, so savvy fashion folk find a Midtown bolthole. Made hotel in the buzzy NoMad neighbourhood is perfect. Here, a ‘curated stay’ is what owner Sam Gelin and the team want guests to experience, from the quietly cool room interiors by Studio MAI and the carved stone hand basins in the bathrooms to Good Behaviour – the rooftop bar that’s part lush jungle, part tiki nightspot. That’s cool with a small ‘c’ though – nothing at the hotel is overthought or fussy, and yet you feel cosseted, as if you are in a (more stylish) home-from-home. If you have time to eat during fashion week, Made is great for foodies, whether it’s New American seasonal food in the Tyler Heckman-helmed Ferris – still the city’s hot ticket, artisan coffee served at Paper in the lobby or a glass of pinot noir from the eclectic wine list in the bar. Doubles from around £155, room only, madehotels. com. BA flies from London Heathrow to New York from £260 return