I've been attending London Fashion Week since my first internship at Marie Claire magazine. I've been offered numerous nuggets of advice along the way, and ignored about 90% of them, only to realise they were right after all. So here's my two cents: what I've learnt through 14 seasons of Fashion Week. Do what you will with it...
[Photo: Blogger's Own]
Pick your battles - The mistake I made on earlier seasons was having too much fun too late at night. I'm yet to find the party that makes a hungover FROW worth it.
Stay central - Travel time is wasted time, so finding a central base for quick changes and phone charges is key. Loads of brands host influencer lounges across popular venues, and this season I had a suite at the beaut Hotel Cafe Royal.
[Photo: Blogger's Own]
Short skirts are awkward - FROW is always over-full, and sitting with any dignity is tricky. Particularly when you add short hemlines into the mix.
Plan, plan, plan - A successful season requires near-militant planning. I never bother printing my schedule anymore because of all the the inevitable changes. I totally geek-out in the planning stages and use my Army training to plan my movements. There's probably an app that can do this for you, but I like doing it myself.
Snack wisely - every season, Properncorn kits-out 180 The Strand with a rainbow of popcorn flavours. Which is great. But I'm yet to find a way to enjoy popcorn without inhaling fistfuls at a time, so best to avoid indulging for as long as possible. Especially if you favour the messier ones like me (sun-dried tomato, yaass).
[Photo: Blogger's Own]
Just smile - for a long time I tried to perfect a nonchalant chat for the cameras on FROW, hoping for chic, candid pictures. What I got were a series of frowns and the odd unattractive snarl. So I learnt: just smile.
The show must go on - One of my favourite backstage stories is when my Neville hair stylist was checking a particularly large 'fro on the final line up. He got one of his rings stuck in the hair and when his frantic efforts to un-attach himself as the model moved towards the curtain failed, he sacrificed his ring to the cause and she walked the runway with it wedged in her hair.
[Photo: Blogger's Own]
There is nothing glamorous about Fashion Week, so don't try to pretend otherwise. Even the smallest of bags should contain a healthy number of plasters, blister-pads and painkillers. And a small sewing kit wouldn't hurt, either. And if you spend any time backstage, prepare to be consistently in the way.
Other than that, enjoy it!