London Fashion Week diary: Fashion show sightseeing at Matthew Williamson, Nicole Farhi and more

I love London. I haven’t spent much time here--a day in transit here, a week or two there--so what’s been particularly brilliant (to borrow a very British descriptor) is when designers host their fashion shows off-venue. The Topshop space, which has hosted the Topshop Unique, Richard Nicoll, and Peter Pilotto shows, is an old EuroStar rail location, and last night, Matthew Williamson converted the old Battersea Power Station into an all-white, slick catwalk. It was amazing. Today, Erdem‘s show took place in a garden, and Nicole Farhi presented at the Royal Opera House. Some design houses hold their shows at their headquarters--Burberry’s afterparty last year was at its huge, multi-story office on Horseferry Street; Paul Smith‘s show on Monday was at the company’s London home on Kingsway--which gives you a nice glimpse of the brand’s aesthetic at its best. It’s like fashion show sightseeing!

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