There was a lot going on at London Fashion Week (LFW) this season. The highly anticipated return of Alexander McQueen to the brand’s hometown. The debut of Christopher Kane at Mulberry, and Central Cee walking for Burberry. Emerging talent, including Chopova Lowena, Ashley Williams and Aaron Esh, who has just been appointed as All Saints’ new creative director.
And the Marks & Spencer’s catwalk show.
That’s right: the reliable-once-a-bit frumpy store put on one of the hottest shows of the season. Nothing more than a miracle when you consider 10 years ago M&S was widely portrayed as a struggling, old-fashioned high-street institution that had lost relevance.
Within seconds of arriving, the atmosphere was buzzing in a way that feels unusual for London Fashion Week, a biannual occasion mostly attended by editors, buyers, and industry insiders who will spend around a month travelling between London, Paris, Milan and New York for catwalk shows.
Everyone, it seemed, was excited to see what M&S had in store for its LFW debut. Held to celebrate 100 years of its fashion, it came with a see-now, buy-now promise; a novelty in an industry where typically everything you see on the runway won’t land in shops till the following season.
This was not lost on the fashion crowd, many of whom were spotted photographing the looks they were going to immediately order – a black double-breasted tuxedo jacket went straight in the shopping basket, as did a pair of sparkly mesh ballet flats with a high vamp that look very much like the famous Alaia ones. There was also a gunmetal grey tuxedo suit that caught many eyes, as did a silver mesh knee-length party dress, that would not look out of place in a designer shopfront and would be perfect for the party season.
The thing that made the M&S show so special was its distinction from the rest of what we see at London Fashion Week: beautiful but largely unaffordable clothing
Sartorially speaking, it has been all change at M&S thanks to the 2022 appointment of Maddy Evans, former fashion director of Topshop in its mid-2010 prime, as womenswear director. Cue all the cool girls now flocking to M&S for their fashion fix, a route that would’ve previously elicited pity at best and outright mockery at worst. This was a shop you visited for some nice but sensible pants, quality bedding, and a Colin the Caterpillar for a colleague’s birthday. It was not a stomping ground of the style set. And yet, here we are.
But the fanfare was about a lot more than fashion. Consider the casting: the 59 womenswear and menswear looks were modelled on an array of famous faces whose ages range from 21 to 60. There was a mix of body shapes, too, another welcome sight in a sector that now, despite a brief dalliance with diversity, almost exclusively skews size zero. M&S drew in some serious star power, too: Karen Elson in a black sequin gown! Erin O’Connor in an oversized black satin puffer jacket! There were even some nepo babies: see Lennon Gallagher, 27, in a gorgeous tailored grey suit, and his cousin, Anais, 26, watching from the front row.
Ultimately, the thing that made the M&S show so special was that its clothes were high-fashion beautiful at prices we can afford. Half of the items we saw on the runway were under £50, a figure that wouldn’t even get you as far as a hair clip when it comes to price points for most brands showcasing at LFW.
In the midst of an ongoing cost of living crisis, sky-high rents, and a crippling economic landscape, M&S is giving us something they need more than ever: accessible sartorial joy. And crucially, it’s being delivered with all of the glitz and glamour worthy of a high-end label. Perhaps other brands need to take note. After all, if it’s good enough for Dame Joan Collins…
Our picks of the best five items available from M&S’s London Fashion Week show:
Half Zip Jumper, Red: £40
Gem High Vamp Flat Shoe: £55
Tuxedo Jacket, Black: £85
Jeans, Indigo: £42
PU Fur Trim Bomber, Black: £75
