It started in a car park with Shirley and ended with a cocktail in Downing Street. London Fashion Week SS16 was a triumph. This is the season I debuted on Facebook Mentions, sharing all the action from the front row and backstage with you, via #CandyCam.
We also launched our all-new ELLE newsletter (sign up here). We saw tiny ponies cantering along the carpet at Claridges Hotel. We heard Alison Moyet perform Only You live at Burberry, where we also witnessed a lot of love in the front row, from Cara Delevigne's steamy PDA with her girlfriend Annie Clark (aka the singer St. Vincent), to Jerry Hall's mega-watt maternal love watching her daughters Lizzie and Georgia May on the Giles Deacon catwalk.
The weather wasn't always kind but there were plenty of chocolate-based snacks to make up for it at the British Fashion Council's new Soho venue, the NCP car park in Brewer Street. The catwalks were abuzz with gossip about Natalie Massenet's next move and rumours of a Rihanna performance (I think I may have started that one).
Louis Vuitton stormed the social media on Monday night with the opening of its Series 3 exhibition on The Strand, followed by the glitziest London party of all. Taking place in a small private supper club, I was lucky enough to attend and rub shoulders with fashion's most stylish women, including Catherine Deneuve, Michelle Williams, Bianca jagger, Alexa Chung, Poppy Delevingne and many more – an excess of champagne prevents me from remembering.
I couldn't get through it without: Podcasts (I am late to the party, but Serial is genius), fashion stickers (they were everywhere), 'builders tea' (so retro it is now cooler than matcha) and red lipstick.
Clockwise, from top left: Flats everywhere. This is the era of the comfortable shoe, which is good news for me, as I can never wear heels again due to 'foot issues'. I start my LFW outfit edit with a shoe line-up. Personally, I am drawn to anything silver; me and my assistant Gill. If you want me, you have to get past her – which is not as easy as it looks! Gill started as an intern at ELLE and, as well as assisting me, she also looks after and writes various fashion features in the magazine and on the website; this is my new Giles Deacon dress, which I am taking to Milan. 'Black, black, black,' as my teenager daughter always remarks; Everyone needs a Darth Vader lunchbox, especially for on-the-go Fashion Week snacks; nails are a big deal on the front row. I went for the burgundy (the colour of the season, I'll have you know) shade, with a bit of sparkle on my ring fingers. See, silver again.
1. The very talented Simone Rocha is pregnant. This is very good news – she is such a warm and wonderful person, and who I have known for a very long time.
2. The retro digital watch. I LOVE these old watches and buy them on eBay. I'm taking this one to Milan.
3. I love my Nutribullet. Beauty director Sophie Beresiner is my food guru, and she says a smoothie is the best way to get an energy boost, so this is how I start my day. I did have a Snickers later on, but we just won't tell her.
1. Fresh flowers from the designer Emilio de Morena. Always a treat.
2. And biscuits. You can never have to many biscuits for brekkie during Fashion Week (at least these are breakfast themed).
3. Pink champagne was served at the Hill & Friends breakfast.
4. Anna Wintour, who sat opposite me at the Hill & Friends launch at Claridges (featuring the aforementioned tiny ponies), ate all of this googly eye yoghurt. Sadly, I had had too many biscuits.
1. I have to do the school run before the shows and I am tempted to borrow Mabel's Minions brolly on day four.
2. The dancers at the Anya Hindmarch show were in navy onesies – which I feel Team ELLE should wear from now on.
3. My official Fashion Week tee. In case you don't know who I am in the front row.
Main image: Victoria Adamson
