Notes from London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week, apart from providing much in the way of aesthetic stimuli, taught me a few lessons and just may have made me a more stylish soul. Here are my 10 LFW commandments.

THOU SHALT...
1) bring a spare pair of flats on all occassions. Heels may raise your fashion game but gel soles do not count as a legitimate business expense.
2) affect an air of digestible torpor. My freshman excitement could be smelt a mile away.
3) develop a neck as long as a giraffe. Often times, plonking yourself down in the front row doesn't get you exposed as the blagger you are.
4) chat to people. Contrary to 'Devil Wears Prada' inherited wisdom; fashionistas love some banter and jaw. Nicole Farhi had a good aul chin wag at the Betty Jackson show. She's a peach!
5) check out Vauxhall Fashion Scout. Their media centre is a haven away from the BFC bun fight. Speaking of which, they also hook you up with free pastries and coffee. We likey!
6) get thy facts right. At the Steve J & Yoni P show I was asked who the lady in the front row was. 'Gotta be Isabella Blow,' I said; forgetting of course she was dead. Winds up it was blogger Diane Pernet. Looks like she's not the only one who's got A Shaded View on Fashion.
7) always be camera ready. Disney Rollergirl snapped a pic of me at Jaeger for her blog in which I look like I took a Xanax. I can assure you it was only fashion fatigue; but a bit of pre-show slap would have saved face. Literally!
8) use powder (see: point 7). I was being interviewed by the lovely Huggy Ragnarsson for Fashion Music TV when I had to stop mid-sentence to wipe the burgeoning sweat from my lip. Matte is always better than high shine. This point cannot be overemphasised.
9) get an entourage...or at least a driver. If you want to get from show to show across London without looking like fashion roadkill, (see: points 7 & 8) then invest in help. The Tube is not your friend. Repeat. The Tube is not your friend!
10) come back again next year!

Pic: backstage with Bumble & Bumble at Margaret Howell's show