British Vogue

I still remember my first fashion show. The brand was Preen, the year circa 2002, and I’d just started my first job in journalism on the features desk at the Evening Standard magazine. Its designers, Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton, founded their label out of a small boutique in Portobello Green where I’d discovered their deconstructed designs as a teenager some years prior. By this point, though, they were producing full-on runway collections, and would soon be dressing the likes of Amy Winehouse, so the ticket I’d snagged – albeit standing – was pretty hot. The rush I felt as the lights went up, as the soundtrack roared (was that an actual lion we heard?) and the models came stomping out was so worth it, even from the nosebleeds. The power…

Raven Smith “I’m slightly obsessed with the film Midsommar, so I jumped at the chance for a deep dive with the May Queen,” says writer Raven Smith who, for this month’s cover story, met actor Florence Pugh in the kitchen at London’s Hide restaurant to test out their culinary skills. “I hope her irreverence comes across,” he says of the resulting profile, on page 170. “She’s totally focused and ambitious, but she’s also a lot of fun.” NENEH CHERRY From dancing with Prince to performing pregnant on Top of the Pops, Neneh Cherry’s life is packed with epic tales. Now, in her new memoir, A Thousand Threads, the musician is tying them all together. On page 226, Cherry takes a look back at the story of her life through her inimitable fashion choices.…

Get ready for fashion’s most spectacular moments to unfold before your eyes at Vogue: Inventing the Runway, a new exhibition at London’s Lightroom exploring the past, present and future of the catwalk show. A mere model’s walk from Central Saint Martins – the crucible for much of the capital’s best-known design talent, which will also play host to Vogue’s Forces for Fashion this year – the four-storey Lightroom will, come October, put you front row, as well as behind the scenes, of the catwalk. With input from scores of designers, from McQueen to Miu Miu, and material from Vogue’s extensive archive, this is your chance to immerse yourself in the most remarkable cultural moments from the runway at an unprecedented scale. Reserve your ticket now at Lightroom.uk VOGUE: INVENTING THE RUNWAY…

Bella Maclean has completely disappeared from her window of our Zoom call. When, from a holiday in Philadelphia, she bobs excitedly back into view of her computer’s camera, wearing a Breton-stripe jersey, chunky silver hoop earrings and a powder pink and white Phillies baseball cap, she’s proudly clutching a cornflower-blue mesh Adidas & Wales Bonner SL76 trainer. “I just have to show you these because I love them so much,” the 26-year-old actor enthuses of the viral retro style, her dirty-blonde bob and dark brows calling to mind a ’90s-era Patsy Kensit or Liz Hurley. “I’m so specific about trainers. I rarely wear anything except Nike Cortezes in every single colour.” I have a strong hunch that Maclean will soon have a queue of high fashion labels desperate to dress her.…

Floricultural footwear came up roses in the a/w’24 collections, thanks to the likes of Loro Piana, Loewe and Ulla Johnson, but it pays to take a closer look. On the runway, as in nature, the flowers that can still bloom in the deepest of winter are made of hardy stuff. Enter Armani’s second-skin boots, complete with surrealist ice-blue vines. Their glitchy, maximalist print nods to both the flattened geometry of Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris, whose designs upended the true-to-nature trompe l’oeil effects that ruled interiors in the 19th century, and the work of veteran pop artist Alex Katz. Track down a copy of Andy Warhol’s Flowers, Flowers, Flowers and take a pair of secateurs to your hemline. Like a handsome bouquet positioned atop your desk, these boots deserve…

From down-tempo diamonds to relaxed emeralds, set pulses racing this autumn by pairing the rarest of precious stones with worn-time-and-again wardrobe heroes. Forget about saving haute heirlooms for one-off occasions: discoball dazzlers look the ice-coolest when layered with on-the-go hoodies, T-shirts and lived-in denim. This mood may appear low-key but it can prove sharper than any bejewelled eveningwear ensemble. Your bare necessities? An oversized blazer teamed with nothing but shimmering-in-the-moonlight skin. When it comes to jaw-dropping jewels, seemingly minor styling choices hit the major notes.…