How to dress like the front row style set

Outfits put together by Fashion Week attendees are just as inspiring as those on the runways, says

Ioften find the style off the catwalks more inspiring than what’s on them. I mean no disrespect to the designers, whose creativity is the genesis of everything we wear, but there is something about the way real people put their outfits together in real life – well, as close to real life as London Fashion Week gets, it’s not the average nine-to-five – that gives me the confidence to break out of my style comfort zone as well.

It helps to have the right clothes and accessories, which the editors, buyers and influencers who populate this industry do. A fair amount of borrowing from designer labels takes place, too – and some attendees are even paid to wear things, as brands know that “street style” photographs will be widely circulated and published in fashion media for the next six months.

“When someone turns up with a popular bag, but has styled it in an unexpected way or has added a

‘When someone turns up with popular bag styled in an unexpected way, it sets them apart’

certain detail to their outfit that no one would expect, it really sets them apart,” says Zee Khan, a writer, who with her photographer sister Noor, documents the street style scene at London Fashion Week. “It’s a reminder of how diverse fashion consumers can be and how you don’t always have to copy exact trends but instead adapt them to suit your own style.”

It’s also these guests’ jobs to have a finger so acutely on the pulse that they can predict what we’ll want to wear in six months’ time. It’s this that makes the fashion on the front row a strong indicator of which buys will have decent wardrobe staying power in the coming year.

You can be sure that all those fuzzy alpaca-blend knits on the front row will probably be all over the high street next autumn. The trend for slouchy suiting also looks like it’s going nowhere; ditto swirly Y2K prints and teeny-tiny bags you would struggle to fit your house keys into.

It’s fair to say that some of these items are designed more for peacocking than practicality, particularly the micro-mini bag (surely I’m not the only one who would rather spend my money on a phone case with a crossbody strap). But there are plenty of other trends which are fun, colourful, and just enough to update your look without a complete wardrobe overhaul.