The 'insane' reality of being a street style star at Fashion Week

Fashion Month inevitably throws up major industry talking points - whether you're shelling out for the Balenciaga trainers, for example, or the latest incredible set Karl Lagerfeld has dreamt up at Chanel. But for many consumers, it's the street style pictures that are of most relevance - offering genius styling tips from the editors, stylists and buyers who attend the shows. 

Since the original street style photographers Bill Cunningham and Scott Schuman started the genre, it has exploded into an industry of its own. While those easy-breezy ‘rushing into the show’ or ‘casually hanging out with my good looking  friends’  pictures from London Fashion Week might seem effortlessly spontaneous, they're often anything but. 

As some of the leading street style stars told us, fashion month is a period of intense outfit-planning that often culminates in changing clothes on street corners and getting black eyes after clashing with photographers in the mayhem. Yes, really... 

When do they start preparing their outfits?

As with everything in life, preparation is key and has been well underway for a while. “I start about two months beforehand,” says brand consultant and editor of the website WorkWorkWork.co, Katherine Ormerod. “It’s not necessarily the actual outfits, but the kinds of pieces that I might want to wear over fashion month.”

But, it's important not to let the pressure get to you. "It’s so easy to be swept up by the scene and you could end up wearing something which isn’t really you,” says Camille Charrière, who has become renowned for her minimalist, elegant styling which she documents on her blog, Camille over the Rainbow. "A few times I've seen pictures and thought, 'That’s not what I would actually choose to wear'." 

How much of their wardrobe is on loan - and how much have they bought?

The truth is that it's a mixture. “I will borrow a handful of pieces to team with some of my own wardrobe,” explains stylist Martha Ward of the fact that street style has become a powerful vehicle for new designers. “It’s a nice way to champion British designers and when better than during LFW when the opportunity for exposure is so great?” 

Charrière agrees - and is always scouring social media for new brands to wear. “Fashion week is the perfect chance to highlight designers or borrow something you wouldn’t usually buy. Instagram is a great networking tool. I discover new brands on there and they’re usually happy to lend to me because they know I’ll be able to extend their name to a huge audience."

That's not to say street style stars aren't discerning about the brands they choose to support. “My friend Anissa Kermiche launched her fine jewellery line last year and I'm going to wear it a lot - but that's because I absolutely adore it," says Ormerod.  

How much competitiveness is there between the street stylers?

Cheeringly, there's more camaraderie amongst the street style set that cat-fighting. “I’m always super-inspired by the other girls” says Charrière. “I love to see what Natalie Hartley and Sarah Harris are wearing every day.” In fact, mini trends develop during the month as girls experiment and riff on each other’s ideas, like last season when wearing your shirt back to front became the hit styling trick of the month after Natalie Hartley coined it in New York.

So it doesn't matter if they're spotted wearing the same as someone else?

Every woman will relate to that fear of going to a party and turning up in the same outfit as someone else, but at fashion week it makes for a fun extra photo opportunity. “One  LFW, I was  wearing my favourite dress of all time which also happened to be the dress of the season - a Burberry folk dress,” remembers Martha Ward. “When I saw someone else wearing it I went up to embrace her and have a picture taken #Twins."

Ormerod says that sometimes this situation is even pre-prepared.  “Some girls coordinate their outfits together. They might both go for denim or wear the same designer piece in different colours to maximise the chances of getting photographed. Street photographers love two or three girls together, so it makes sense,” she explains. A good excuse to use next time you rock up in the same Self Portrait dress as someone else at a wedding.

But what is it actually like facing a barrage of photographers?

“Insane, intimidating and extremely aggressive” is how Ormerod sums it up. “Some of the photographers are out of control. I was elbowed in the face once and had a purple bruise on my eyelid the next day.”

But the style leaders soon learn to negotiate the world of hierarchies when arriving and leaving every show. “If you arrive at the same time as Anna dello Russo then you just get shoved out of the way,” laughs Charrière. “It’s amazing how they move around in a pack and see something in unison and all go crazy for it,” adds Ward.

Have they ever had to get changed in the back of a car?

All the street style leaders admit that photographers are just there to do their jobs and get their picture. “I have them to credit for my blog becoming so big,” says Charrière. “Many of them are my friends, so I’m not going to turn my nose up at them.” In New York last year, Charrière had just got into the warm after walking to the show in temperatures of -17 when she saw a message from one of her photographer friends asking if she’d come back out so he could get the shot he’d missed. “I went out and did it for him” she says. “But then fainted when I finally got back inside."

Ward has also experienced the perils of being camera-ready in tricky conditions, albeit with a funnier outcome. “I had to change for a dinner in the loo of a restaurant but it was impossible for me to do up the buttons myself,” she recalls. "So I had to ask the Addison Lee driver to do up my fiddly buttons which was a far from an ideal arrangement for either of us.”

And how do they feel studying the photos afterwards?

Street style stars might give the impression of being consummate posing professionals but they all say that it can feel like a cringe worthy process. “We aren’t models” points out Ward. “I’m so terribly bad at posing when I’m pulled over by a particular photographer, rather than being caught on the hoof. I find myself hopelessly awkward."

Charrière agrees. “Of course there’s this inner awkwardness when a whole crowd of photographers is taking your picture but you just have to smile and be nice. Obviously it has become a contrived process but you just have to get on with it.” 

street style london fashion week 2017