London Fashion Week: Fourth Day
Representatives from the local industry grumbled that the organization of the Week could have been better. However, after the Moscow events, it seems that London Fashion Week is perfect. About the blog bar - computers and Wi-Fi - in Somerset House, we already told last time. And about the buses for the press (and some for the buyers!), Too. More important guests are being transported by sponsored Mercedes. Shows on average linger for no more than 15-20 minutes, half an hour is already an exception, and when Temperley did not start in 40 minutes (which in Moscow, it would have been considered “to start too early”), Telegraph reporter Alexander Hilary got up and out of the room. True, a crowd of PR managers immediately rushed after her, and Hilary returned (later she tweeted that she just left to smoke because she was tired of waiting). But the whole show, she stood and then left the hall first. Hilary, by the way, is quite capable of going backstage and asking why the show is delayed.
Last season, we noticed how punctual those visitors of shows who could not be so punctual. The most important journalists (Suzy Menkes, Derek Blasberg, Anna Wintour, Frank Sozzani, Tommy Ton) arrive at the show minute by minute, as well as celebrities (TV presenter Alex Chang, actress Kirsten Dunst, wife of premier Samantha Cameron, and others). The rest of the guests line up for 30-40 minutes before the start, even those who have standing invitations - although they have to wait the longest, they will be allowed into the hall only when all guests with seats are seated.
At the meeting and seating, as a rule, there are about ten people working at the big shows - even more. At least two guests are greeted with lists. Their work is the most difficult: imagine how many people are trying to break through to some Giles, while some really could not receive invitations (they are sometimes sent in just a few days), and they not only need to be met, but quickly figure out where to sit. Inside, 5-8 people greet the guests and help them find their place, as well as engage in the most sensitive part of the work: sitting in the first row (which is filled so quickly) with the VIPs who lagged behind, that is, within three seconds they decide who to ask for a place to give. Sarah Colette.
Christopher Kane has an incredibly professional team, which I am already convinced at the entrance. I have no invitation - I'm on the list. I just need to mention the Moscow store, which included me in the list, as a PR-manager immediately calls me by name (from memory!) And thanks for the visit.
By the way, the hall at the Kane show is organized in the best way possible: a long sausage of benches makes the first row as spacious as possible. And it's not about prestige: the first row is just clearly visible, and the convenient construction of seating is a sign of respect for the people who do their work (we had the Week and there were cases when even from a standing place nothing could be seen except those who stood in front). The total number of rows on Kane is no more than three, and the third is located on an elevation, like in a theater or cinema.
In general, after some time, remembering the Moscow shows, which sometimes begin an hour and a half after the stated time, and their visitors, who sometimes come, without even knowing who the designer is, you begin to feel burning envy.
