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From peacock to PR powerhouse: The seven types of people you see at every Fashion Week

Let the people-spotting commence

Sarah Young
Friday 06 January 2017 16:30 GMT
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During fashion week, the street style photographers are known to become a bit belligerent
During fashion week, the street style photographers are known to become a bit belligerent (Getty)

As the biannual men’s fashion week returns to the capital, albeit with a different name, the fashion anthropology can begin.

The industry is chock-full with stereotypes but, there’s something about being that much closer to a runway that intensifies the behaviour of fashionistas.

While the street style photographers become belligerent, the PR girls’ power trips reach fever pitch. As much as London Fashion Week is about the clothes, it’s also a great opportunity to gawk at those that descend upon it, and people spotting remains my favourite sport.

Here, we chart the who’s-who of fashion week’s most discernible characters.

The preening peacock

You’ll spot this shameless soul a mile off; most likely parading the streets in outfits they’re paid to wear in the hopes of being snapped.

Prying for the attention of street style photographers, or anyone for that matter, the peacock is all about turning up, looking ridiculous and taking more snaps of themselves than the shows.

That’s assuming they’ve actually got a ticket and aren’t just posing outside the venue. Do not satisfy these people, you will only serve to feed their ego.

The PR powerhouse

Dressed all black, all the time, for these characters power is an aphrodisiac.

Between ‘The List’ and the drone of muffled voices coming from their earpiece, PR’s can appear strangely menacing.

They are after all, the elusive fashion gatekeeper.

Behind this smokescreen though, they’re probably just looking to get through the next 45 minutes of seating smug celebs.

The show you’re attending will determine the calibre of celeb you spot (Getty) (Getty Images)

The celeb

Speaking of which, semi-irrelevant celebrities have a habit of popping up all over the place at fashion week.

They tend to not really care about fashion that much at all but, the lure of cosying up to designers and hitting the after parties proves too much to miss out on.

Of course, the show you’re attending will determine the calibre of celeb you’ll spot, from the A-lister to the one-hit-wonder.

The fashion editor

For editors, fashion week means facing a daily barrage of street style photographers which as frequent FROWers, they know is part of their work.

Even so, that’s exactly what they’re there to do, their job.

Carted here there and everywhere, they somehow turn up to each show immaculately turned out and donned in clothes that cost as much as a studio apartment.

Fashion editors and models are frequent FROWers (Getty) (Getty Images)

The 'off-duty' model

Don’t be fooled by the ‘off-duty’ aphorism here as these super-elite models are always dressed to the nines.

They’re the freakishly tall, gangly creatures that beg you to question your own existence as they sit front row with the rest of the cool kids, paparazzi in tow.

The street style snapper

Faced with ruthless competition and busy schedules street style photographers are a hostile bunch in the midst of fashion week.

As they anxiously grasp their DSLR, swarming around cars in the hopes of snapping an A-Lister, getting in their way is risky business.

The fashion writer

Unlike the fashion editor, humble writers are dished the raw deal, running to the tube between shows.

They start out with good intentions of course, turning up in their finest garb but, by the end of the week, their outfits will become gradually more functional.

Up until 3am filing copy, the fashion writer is most likely surviving on minimal sleep and a heady mix of painkillers and coffee to get them through the week.

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