The Fashion-Editor Guide to London: The Best Hotel, the Buzziest Spots, and What to Wear
For editors, fashion month is always a highlight of the year—a moment to see runway shows up close, preview what is new and next in fashion, and chat with other people in fashion about their thoughts on what is unfolding. This season, I attended London Fashion Week, and the fall 2024 collections were full of experimentation among young designers and strong collections from established brands. Lee showed his third collection for Burberry, which had strong outerwear; JW Anderson and Simone Rocha were some of the most talked-about shows of the season; and Erdem and Emilia Wickstead stunned with their beautiful shows.
Aside from seeing the new collections, fashion month gives me an excuse to put together new outfits to wear to the shows. My approach this season revolved around great outerwear, mixed with some of the essentials already sitting in my closet, so that's exactly what I packed and brought to the Rosewood London hotel, which was my home base while I was in town. Ahead, see my fashion-editor guide to London, including the places I visited and everything I wore.
Where to Stay
During fashion week this season, I called the Rosewood London home—a beautiful hotel that is one of my favorites in the world. The hotel is housed in an Edwardian manor with a grand courtyard and traditional-meets-modern interiors finished with moulded walls and glossy floors. Smartly dressed bellhops greet guests upon arrival, and the rooms are outfitted with plush striped carpet floors, velvet seating, fresh flowers, and bedding so indulgent I inquired about the vendors. Beyond the gorgeous design, the impeccable service and attention to detail set it apart. Thoughtful elements such as pillowcases monogrammed with my initials offered special touches that instantly made me feel at home and planning to return on my next (and every) visit back to London.
Where to Go
The restaurant at Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone is always one of my first stops in London. The beautiful indoor-outdoor space draws a great crowd, and I always return for the excellent tuna tartare and fresh shellfish.
I've always been drawn to shops with great magazines and books. The Air Mail newsstand just across the street from Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone is always worth a visit.
Marchesi 1824 is an Italian bakery owned by Prada. Fashion insiders flock to its location in Milan for fine pastries, chocolates, and sweets, but there is also an outpost in London on Mount Street.
Named one of the world's 50 best bars, Scarfes Bar lives up to its reputation. The clubby spot has handcrafted cocktails and bar snacks, served up by waiters in tailored suiting. It's conveniently located at the Rosewood London, so it's a go-to spot to meet up with fashion people between shows.
I've been considering purchasing the Margaux bag from The Row, so I headed to the London store to see it in person. Even if you're just window-shopping, it's worth visiting to see the James Turrell artwork at the entrance.
A fine-dining Indian restaurant in Mayfair, Jamavar is a spot I always visit in London. It has become a tradition to visit on the last night of London Fashion Week with other U.S. editors who are in town.
The space at Mount St. Restaurant brings together modern takes on traditional British food with noteworthy décor and art. Works from artists such as Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, and Lucian Freud are hung throughout the space.
What to Wear
Nour Hammour designs gorgeous outerwear, and I built this look around the brand's Birthday Coat—a reversible piece finished with shearling on one side and suede on the other. This season, I've invested in outfits that pair chocolate brown with black, so I test-drove the color combination again here by layering a black turtleneck and jeans with the brown coat, sunglasses, and bag.
I recently discovered the brand Saison and immediately wanted to add the its faux-fur jacket into my London Fashion Week looks. The jacket is finished with taupe faux fur and lined with an incredible soft suede. Here, I paired it with an organza top and tailored trousers.
I picked up this satin trench coat from Khaite last year and have been waiting for a time to wear it. The Burberry runway show felt like the right moment. I wanted to wear it with black tights but didn't have a pair that were the right level of sheer, so I went to Calzedonia to pick up the pair I always spot celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber wearing. They were exactly what I was looking for and pulled the look together.
Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury and runway content as well as wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and MyTheresa, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.