Londoner’s Diary
Speeches at awards ceremonies are usually a tiresome list of thank yous and I’m so honoureds. But at the Elle Style Awards on Tuesday, refreshing honesty abounded. Lola Young was shaking so much when she accepted her award for Best New Sound that she had to hand the glass trophy straight back to presenter Kai Isaiah-Jamal. The Messy singer was fresh off a plane from New York and explained that she had just drunk two coffees, “because I’m trying to get off cocaine”.
Young has been candid about her struggles with addiction but was in good spirits on the evening. “I don’t know how I’ve bullshitted my way into rooms like this but I have. I met Stormzy outside, that was f***ing mad,” she gushed.
Meanwhile, winner of the “Timeless Muse” award Alexa Chung told the crowd that she last won an Elle award back in 2009 for best presenter, when she fronted T4. “Like most Millennials back then I was also a DJ,” she said. “Now I write, I design, I attend things for money.” Oh, to be a timeless muse who is paid to go to fashion parties.
Other winners included activist Malala Yousafzai, actor Naomi Ackie, and author Zadie Smith, who was crowned Elle’s British Icon. “It’s so lovely of Elle to think of me that way, but it’s also far from my own self-conception,” she said. “It’s hard to think of yourself that way when most days you are in sweatpants at a laptop, just typing.”
The evening was held at Brasserie Zédel in Piccadilly, in partnership with Topshop and Patrón, who kept the crowd nicely lubricated with margaritas served in mini tequila bottles.
Longchamp launches London fashion month
French bag-maker Longchamp pulled out all the stops for a party to kick off London’s fashion month. Guests included Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung, and a blink-and-you’ll miss it appearance from Kate Moss. Nostalgia was the watchword of the evening. Noughties singer Mika performed in his trademark falsetto, followed by a DJ set from Spice Girl Mel C.
Bopping along in the crowd was presenter Nick Grimshaw, who told The London Standard that his style icon at the moment was rapper A$AP Rocky, while the best-dressed guest on his food podcast, Dish, was Graham Norton. Quite the range. Kate Middleton’s brother James brought along one of his six dogs, dressed in a fetching silk bandana.
Art goes East
Meanwhile, model Erin O’Connor, poet Greta Bellamacina and jeweller Celia Weinstock went to a glamorous dinner at The Tower of London for the 60th anniversary of The World Monuments Fund, hosted with Giorgio Armani. V&A director Tristram Hunt voyaged to the Olympic Park in Stratford for the opening of artist Conrad Shawcross’s installation, Umbilical.
Over at the art’otel Hoxton, DJs Mary Charteris and Jaime Winstone, actor Clara Paget and model Tigerlily Taylor were up on the 25th floor for the opening of French restaurant Solaya.
