Fashion week diary: Dogs? On the catwalk?; Unfashionably late; Attire fit for queen of New Labour; Editors' Ford focus

(AP)

Dogs? On the catwalk?

Canine companions are always a big draw at Mulberry, where the pooches have been known to steal the limelight from the collections. The miniature schnauzer modelling a lifejacket-yellow raincoat had other ideas though as he attempted to shake off his outfit during his catwalk promenade.

Unfashionably late

Mere miles as the crow flies, the distance between the Topshop venue – in the old Eurostar terminal in Waterloo – and Somerset House proved a bridge too far. Traffic chaos caused by the closure of Westminster Bridge for a charity bike ride – authorised by cyclophile Boris Johnson, who officially opened London Fashion Week on Friday – meant that many missed young gun Marios Schwab in favour of the next show on the schedule – the stalwart Paul Smith.

Attire fit for queen of New Labour

Perhaps Boris would have done well to take a leaf out of the book of Hackney MP Diane Abbott who beat the traffic and was spotted at Marios Schwab. The designer's form-fitting silhouette and use of sheer fabrics would be a departure from Ms Abbott's usual attire but would certainly cause a stir in the House.

Editors' Ford focus

Tom Ford was unarguably the biggest name on yesterday's schedule and the designer changed his usual policy of presenting only to the editors of magazines by including fashion editors of newspapers on the guest list – on observation of a policy of strict radio silence on the editors' behalf, of course.