Mysterious disappearing LFW events

London Fashion Week has come and gone. It was 4 days of the usual madness,  exhaustion and of course, fun. Indeed, it all requires a lot of liaising and legwork, so at the end of a long day on the trail, who can resist the temptation to party?

Brands pull out all the stops to organise events that'll get everyone oohing and aahing. They're a fun way of mixing business and pleasure but they are definitely not the be all and end all. That's why it's hard to understand why this season, a new happening reared its ugly head: the phantom event.

Indeed, in an odd sequence of events, announced events 'disappeared' without a trace or a flick of notice. Guests heading to a presentation/ party in Soho were greeted with a closed venue. Luckily, it was just a matter of moving on to another event down the road but the collective irritation was palpable. If there's one thing you don't during FW, it's waste people's time. Then there was an announced so-called 24-hour event where attendees were poured back onto London's streets at *drumroll* 10 p.m! And even more mysteriously, no-one at the venue had heard of the brand's 24-hour event (later implied to have just been a lure to ensure maximum attendance). Then a couple of days later there was a similar scenario - a drinks reception this time - that stemmed from a glaring blunder that was neatly brushed under the Fashion carpet.

Only the Fashion gods know what happened. One can only hope this isn't a new warped strategy. But next time an invitation appears from any of the brands involved, it's highly likely that many will give them a royal skip and go get their kicks - for real - elsewhere.

The Chicutopian (@barbedchic)