David Levene's day at London fashion week day 3 - in pictures

Preparations for the Mulberry show are made at Claridge's. 'It was great to be in such grand surroundings at Claridge's for Mulberry,' said our photographer. 'There is so much history at that hotel and it was a pleasure to have such interesting interior decor to frame the fashion-show backstage goings-on. I was repeatedly drawn to the classical paintings and motifs adorning the walls in the backstage area and spent considerable amounts of time trying to marry the dizzying spectacle of glitzy fashionistas with the surrounding hotel decor.' Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Models and make-up artists share a joke backstage at Mulberry. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Mulberry Models and Turbo the dog prepare for their moment on the catwalk. 'My favourite character backstage was Turbo, the six-year-old English bulldog that featured in the catwalk show. He was clothed in the same patterns as the models and drew many an ooh and aah from everyone around. He was very well behaved and ridiculously cute.' Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A model has her nails painted before the Mulberry show. David said: 'A favourite moment was finding a French model, Manon, having her fingernails and toenails painted while a stage technician rested with his phone nearby. I always look for such an opportunity to bring the slightly unreal world of high fashion back to Earth and this scene played it very well. I used a very wide angle lens which I guess made it less obvious that I was including the technician in the photograph, otherwise I think he may have become self-conscious and might well have moved himself out of the picture altogether.' Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A model shows her painted fingernails backstage at footwear designer Sophia Webster's show. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

British model Jourdan Dunn has her make-up applied backstage at the Topshop Unique show. 'The Topshop show was, on the face of it, more simple, largely because of boring marquee surroundings. In a way that makes you concentrate harder and focus on the activities backstage.' Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, waits for the Topshop Unique catwalk show to begin. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

As the front row guests are seated, photographers jostle for position. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

'I found a strange collection of booths which turned out to be body-paint booths. It looked great, really strange and out-of-the-ordinary. They were difficult to shoot though because models were concerned about being photographed semi-naked. Of course I never want to shoot anyone in compromising situations but backstage areas can be difficult to shoot because people don't necessarily know who you are or whether you can be trusted with models' dignity. There is always a lot if nudity but you just need to be thoughtful, careful and discreet.' Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A model has a quiet moment before the Topshop show. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Kate Moss is seated at the Topshop catwalk show. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Designer shoes and accessories on display at the Topshop Unique show. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A model struts on the runway as the Topshow Unique catwalk show gets under way. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian