The memory of my first fashion show remains vivid. It was Preen, back in 2002, and I was a fresh-faced journalist, just starting out at the Evening Standard magazine. Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton, the designers behind the brand, had blossomed from a small Portobello Green boutique to a runway force, dressing the likes of Amy Winehouse. My standing ticket, secured with some luck, felt like a privilege. The lights, the roaring soundtrack – I swear I heard a lion’s roar – and the stomping models – it was electrifying. Even from the back, the raw energy was intoxicating. That’s the magic of the runway, the ability to transport you to a new mood, a new moment. This feeling, two decades later, never fades. It’s why I’m so excited about ‘Vogue: Inventing the Runway,’ an immersive exhibition celebrating the history of the modern fashion show, soon to open at Lightroom in London.
Hamish Bowles, in his insightful piece in this month’s issue, gives a brilliant overview of the exhibition. The scope of its content is truly astonishing. Did you know that early fashion presentations didn’t use real models? Miniature dolls stood in for living, breathing figures until the 1850s. Alongside Bowles’s piece, a stunning pictorial history, reimagined by photographer Mikael Jansson and styled by contributing fashion editor Ib Kamara, brings the evolution of fashion to life.
Neneh Cherry, a personal fashion icon, shares her own captivating sartorial journey in this issue. Her unique style has profoundly influenced my own, and her stories, ahead of her upcoming memoir, are nothing short of fabulous. One particularly memorable anecdote recounts the moment she was sewn into her Alaïa wedding dress by the legendary couturier himself.
Meanwhile, author Jilly Cooper takes us down memory lane, reflecting on the scandalous exploits that inspired her racy 1980s novel ‘Rivals’ and the current nostalgia for that unapologetically bold era. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting the eight-part Disney+ TV adaptation. A post-fashion month binge-watching session is a must.
Like writer Raven Smith, who interviewed Florence Pugh for this month’s cover story, I was deeply moved by Pugh’s performance in her new film, ‘We Live in Time.’ Thankfully, my tearful reaction was shared by a colleague. Pugh possesses a rare talent for connecting with the soul of a character. She’s genuine, grounded in a way that so few movie stars of her calibre are. As Smith discovered, she’s more confident and comfortable in her own skin than ever. In her own words, the most important thing is “that I’m a good person, and people feel good in my presence.”
