The fashion crowd heads to Buckingham Palace

The event was held to recognize the importance of the fashion industry within the British economy – it’s the second largest UK employer don’t-you-know, - and it was the first, but hopefully not the last, of its kind.

Some very familiar faces were among the 350 guests who headed to Buckingham Palace to meet Her Majesty, from brand new faces to fashion veterans; Christopher Kane and sister Tammy, Erdem, Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, David Bailey, Sophie Dahl, Alice Temperley, Twiggy, Zandra Rhodes, Julien MacDonald (wearing his CBE) and Erin O'Connor, not to mention ELLE's very own editor Lorraine Candy. They were joined by a host of manufacturers, buyers and retailers - the behind-the-scenes teams who make the glitz and glamour of the fashion world work.

The talk of that night? The difficulty of deciding what to wear for an audience with Queen – the dress code was apparently daywear and lounge suits. And how friendly and engaging H