Vogue World: London, the second edition of Vogue’s travelling celebration of fashion and culture after last year’s inaugural showcase in New York, just kicked off London Fashion Week with a bang: a star-studded theatrical extravaganza which weaved together opera, contemporary dance, ballet, Shakespearean monologues, showstopping musical performances and gasp-inducing catwalk moments. Directed by BAFTA and Olivier winner Stephen Daldry and set at the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, it formed a heartfelt love letter to the capital’s rich arts, culture and fashion scene, and those who work within it. See the 10 biggest moments you might have missed from the show in the gallery.
The red-carpet arrivals were predictably epic
Ahead of the show, the street outside Covent Garden’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane was taken over by an extended red carpet complete with hedge walls dotted with red roses from Blooming Haus and a 16-piece orchestra serenading the illustrious arrivals. Among those who were escorted inside swiftly by the theatre’s famous red-coated ushers, dressed in striking new uniforms courtesy of Charles Jeffrey? British Vogue’s Edward Enninful and American Vogue’s Anna Wintour, of course, but also the likes of Alexa Chung in feathered Nicklas Skovgaard, Sheila Atim in bejewelled Prada, Maisie Williams in veiled Maison Margiela, Gemma Chan in shimmering Louis Vuitton, and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, in Fendi and Richard Quinn respectively.
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…but Sienna Miller stole the show
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Even with the royals in attendance, the former British Vogue cover star provided the biggest sartorial talking point of the night, arriving in sculptural, bump-bearing Schiaparelli. (Miller is currently expecting her second child, with her boyfriend, the model Oli Green.) Later in the night, a costume change was in order for the actor, as she donned one of the aforementioned red coats designed by Charles Jeffrey to moonlight as an usher – and pulled that off with the same aplomb.
Kate Moss made quite the entrance
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The show kicked off with the ringing of Big Ben and then, backstage footage of John Galliano dressing Kate Moss in custom Maison Margiela. After that, opera singer Hongni Wu, one of the Royal Opera House’s brightest young stars, delivered a moving rendition of “When I Am Laid In Earth” from Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, accompanied by the Southbank Sinfonia. Dido’s heartbreaking lament, sung as she’s forsaken by her lover and preparing to step onto a funeral pyre, is a plea to be remembered, and it connected to the overarching theme of the show’s first act: namely, a meditation on the ephemerality of life and of beauty, as well as that of runway shows and theatrical productions. As she continued singing, we were given another glimpse of Moss dancing under a layer of tulle and then, finally, joining Wu on stage – the supermodel’s dress, now in full view, was fittingly ethereal and delicate, but also one that no one could possibly forget.
FKA Twigs and Rambert were the embodiment of punk
The second act, thrillingly, provided a stark contrast to the first: FKA Twigs storming the stage with dancers from Rambert to perform a mesmerising original piece dreamt up by the dance company’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer and set to Opus III’s “It’s a Fine Day”. The mood? Riotous and punkish, much like the ensembles worn by the models who were then seen weaving through the theatre, including Cara Delevingne who planted a kiss on Twigs.
Stormzy and Sophie Okonedo brought Shakespeare back to life
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One of the most goosebump-inducing moments in the entire show came when Stormzy, flanked by his choir, sang “Crown”, from his second studio album Heavy Is the Head. If that wasn’t enough, while he rapped, two giant crates appeared on stage, as well as Sophie Okonedo, who was dressed in its contents: hand-painted Vivienne Westwood couture, inspired by the late designer’s autumn/winter 1997 collection, which referenced Tudor portraits and, specifically, Elizabeth I. Then, Okonedo performed the soliloquy from Henry IV Part II which ends with the line, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”, and crowned herself. The sequence formed a powerful collision of past and present, with the actor and musician paying tribute to another fellow Londoner, Shakespeare, despite being separated by four centuries.
There was an ode to romance – and new romantic fashion
The communion with Shakespeare continued in act four, with The Sandman’s Tom Sturridge taking on the part of Romeo and theatre actor Helena Wilson playing Juliet, in a white Alberta Ferretti frock and Loewe wings reminiscent of Claire Danes’s now iconic ensemble from Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 Romeo + Juliet. (The director himself acted as a creative advisor on Vogue World: London.) Then the pair – what else? – went clubbing. The other familiar faces who popped up in this sequence? Red, White & Royal Blue’s Taylor Zakhar Perez, model and activist Kai Isaiah Jamal and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’s Max Harwood, quoting Persuasion and Pride & Prejudice. This ode to romance was accompanied by an ode to new romantic fashion, too, with a parade of models sporting eye-catching looks. Then, Royal Ballet principals Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell appeared, to debut Herrera Codes, a wonderfully fluid new piece of work from the legendary choreographer Wayne McGregor.
The theatre’s “ushers” were a star-studded bunch
Before act five, for a moment, it seemed as if the show was over, as a series of red-coated ushers proceeded to clean the theatre – except, these weren’t real ushers at all, but luminaries of stage and screen: Sienna Miller, Cush Jumbo, James Corden, Damian Lewis and James McAvoy, who all performed an original comedy sketch penned for the occasion by prolific playwright James Graham (Ink, Quiz, Best of Enemies, Dear England). It was a reflection on the dream and the much harsher realities of working in the West End and attempting to make it as a performer, but also a meditation on the power of theatre and what keeps people going, against the odds.
There was a glorious tribute to My Fair Lady
This scene transitioned to a spectacular paean to the musical My Fair Lady, later adapted into the 1964 film of the same name – the ultimate tale of an ingénue emerging from obscurity to take the world by storm, which also made its UK stage debut at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and became the longest-running musical in the venue’s history. It was the biggest fashion moment of the night so far, with countless models in monochrome ensembles filling the stage in a nod to the elegant Ascot scene, including Lila Moss who stepped into the part of Eliza Doolittle.
Annie Lennox provided the barnstorming finale
This tableau was accompanied by the London Community Gospel Choir and music legend Annie Lennox, wearing a custom Richard Quinn suit that paid tribute to Pearly Kings and Queens, crooning “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”. It was stunning to say the least.
The supers shut down the stage as only they can
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This surprise performance would’ve made for an impressive closing act in itself, but the organisers of Vogue World: London had yet another surprise up their sleeves: the original supermodels and British Vogue’s current cover stars, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, appearing and walking out in coordinating looks, before the final curtain call. Bravo.
Editor
Radhika SethCredit
Lead Image: Rowben Lantion
