City Guides

London is famously a hotbed for new talent but this fashion week the city will also welcome back some of its biggest exports, with Burberry, Antoni Berardi, Matthew Williamson and Pringle all showing on home turf to celebrate the British Fashion Council and LFW's 25th Anniversary.

Claridges on Brook Street is undisputedly the hotel of choice for the fashion pack. With presentations and parties in abundance during fashion week it is great for celebrity spotting. The Dorchester on Park Lane and the Philippe Starck designed Sanderson are luxurious city havens with sublime spas to match. Or, for something slightly alternative, The Sanderson's sister hotel St Martins Lane is one of the hippest check-ins London has to offer, where each room has its own interactive light display.

Breakfast is the new lunch and London has some great venues - The Wolseley is a classically chic option, while the Electric Brasserie on Portobello Road is a great place to lounge over brunch after a heavy night. If you fancy star spotting over dinner try Nobu Berkeley, The Ivy or Le Caprice. For something a bit different, enjoy steak and cabaret at Hackney restaurant Bistrotheque or sample the Italian style tapas at Soho eaterie Bocca Di Lupo - one of the best restaurant openings of the year.

Get on a rooftop this September, Shoreditch House and the Boundary are the best places to join the alfresco crowd. Bungalow 8 and Annex 3 are two of London's hottest clubs, while Punk in Soho is where Lily Allen and the Geldof girls take to the dance floor. For a more chilled out mood, sip Martinis at the Moroccan themed Kemia Bar - a favourite haunt of Sienna Miller.

Directional but not too done is de rigueur for London's hippest crowd. This looks-like-you-just-threw-it-on look is all about attitude, so make like Alexa Chung in dungarees and brogues or Agyness Deyn (pictured below) with a sleek leather skirt and vintage rocker tee.

If it's cool London labels you are after, make Browns Focus (pictured above) your first port of call. Check out designers like Mark Fast, Mary Katrantzou and Poltock & Walsh. For the most fashionable footwear, head to the glossy new shoe department at Harvey Nichols (pictured top) where you will find hot heels from the likes of Charlotte Olympia and Camilla Skovgaard. In East London, try Start for the best designer labels. And finally, The Shop at the Bluebird is an absolute must - it stocks the hottest labels of the moment in a totally serene setting.

Heel-hero Nicholas Kirkwood's first ever flats from his new shop-in-shop at Dover Street Market.

Like London-based star Gwyneth Paltrow we love the Agua Spa at the Sanderson Hotel. Try the Bright Eyes treatment, which combines an aromatherapy eye treatment and relaxing massage.

For more information on Claridge's, The Dorchester, The Sanderson, The Wolsely, Nobu Berkeley, Bistroteque, Bocca di Lupo, Shoreditch House, Bungalow 8, Punk,  Browns Focus, and Start click here.