The beauty of London Fashion Week lies in more than just the clothes

Report on how buildings emerged as the stars of the show at London Fashion Week. Unlike the Paris couture shows, the quirky, young and hip LFW has never appeared interested in making the most of the grander side of London's built environment - until this season. The main venue for LFW 2010 was Somerset House, William Chambers' magnificent neoclassical gem. Also used were three of London's more interesting - and often publicly off-limits - architectural landmarks: the Great Hall of the 1870s Royal Courts of Justice; the stunning art deco headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England, the Freemasons' Hall (designed by architects HV Ashley and Winton Newman and opened in 1933); and perhaps most stunning and original, Charles Holden's art deco Great Hall of Senate House at the University of London. Why do designers seek out these venues if such details never make it into the show reports? For the same reason the general public isn't allowed to attend them: exclusivity. In fashion, it's never about the clothes alone. (Quotes from original text)