Londoner’s Diary
The cobbled alleyway behind the Chiltern Firehouse was once again filled with A-listers tottering to their taxis under the strobe of paparazzi bulbs this weekend. The celebrity haunt is still closed until further notice after a fire ripped through the building on Valentine’s Day this year, but it unofficially opened its doors for a four day jolly with “friends and family” over fashion week. Everyone from Noel Gallagher to Princess Eugenie spilled past the red velvet rope, just like old times.
On Thursday, photographer Mert Alas drew Kate Moss and Madonna through the door for a party with his gin brand, Seventy One, which went on late into the night.
A weekend of high-jinks was concluded with Burberry’s post-show event on Monday, which felt more like a raucous house party.
Guests were smoking in the bedrooms, where there were trays of cigarettes and bathtubs full of booze. The rooms will be getting a full refurb so no one had any misgivings about ashing on the carpet — mentioning fire hazards was not in the spirit of things.
Photos of the fire damage, which was started by a pizza oven, were tacked up on bathroom walls, vaguely reminiscent of how politicians will hang cartoons of themselves in their downstairs loo.
Rapper Skepta held court in one room, while downstairs it was a much more civilised affair, complete with Clase Azul cocktails and guests including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Princess Olympia of Greece and tennis star Jack Draper.
Mag culture lives on
You only had to go to Mayfair over fashion week to know that print is not dead. Model Mia Regan was at Soho Mews House for the launch of Edward Enninful’s new mag, 72, while Lily Allen and Julia Fox went along to Perfect magazine’s ninth issue party at Park Chinois, where editor Katie Grand and Nick Grimshaw tore up the dancefloor. It seems like every savvy sartorialist is pivoting to booze collaborations at the moment. The drink of the evening was Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, which was co-created with legendary stylist Law Roach.
Over at Sael in St James’s there was a double anniversary: the restaurant’s first birthday and 10 Magazine’s 25th. Actor Phoebe Torrance was there to toast.
