FROW News #133: M&S Hits the Runway, Trinny London Rethinks Skin Tint & the Black British Book Festival Is Almost Here 👀✨
London Fashion Week opened on Thursday, and M&S and H&M have already given us plenty to talk about. Beyond the runway, we’ve got second-hand fashion, an M&S bakery detour and an album about rebuilding after loss. It’s a full issue. Let’s get into it.
M&S Takes 100 Years of Fashion to the Runway 🧥
M&S made its London Fashion Week debut with a collection drawn from its own archive, and there was plenty more here than a birthday lap. The archive runs through updated tuxedo dressing, floral prints, denim and outerwear with echoes of St Michael, all made by the brand’s in-house design team. The 59 looks went straight from the runway to the M&S website and ten flagship stores, including London, Birmingham Bullring and Manchester.
Half the collection is priced under £50, which makes this Fashion Week show feel unusually close to the wardrobes it’s made for. We’re particularly interested in seeing which of those archive references earns a place in everyday outfits long after the show lights go down.
ALO Gives the Gym Bag a Florence Address 👜
The sporty mesh we know from ALO has found a rather different home in its second bag collection. Leather is laser-cut into an airy mesh pattern, then worked into shapes including the Mini Unwind Cinch, Shoulder Voyage and Tranquility Tote. The bags are designed in Los Angeles and handcrafted in Florence, while Steven Meisel is back behind the campaign camera with Amelia Gray and Candice Swanepoel among the cast.
There’s a larger Unwind Cinch, too, alongside ALO’s first small leather goods, including card holders and a passport cover. The collection is at ALO, with the Leather Mesh Mini Unwind Cinch priced at £1,150 and card holders starting at £180. It’s a more polished take on the bag that follows you from the studio into the rest of the day.
Lucy & Yak Is Giving 50,000 Yaks Their Flowers ♻️
Some of the best things on a rail have already had a life. From 24th to 27th September, Lucy & Yak is turning its stores into expanded PreLoved hubs for its second Big PreLoved Sale of the year. Among the second-hand pieces, you might spot something customised by the brand's Re:Yak Studio team in Yorkshire.
The sale also marks 50,000 pieces rehomed through the Re:Yak scheme. Each store will hide a Golden Ticket every day, which the person who finds it can exchange for their favourite item. Students get an extra 20% off with UNiDAYS or Student Beans. Find your nearest Lucy & Yak store before the rails open up next Thursday.
Cora Corré Brings a Little British Attitude to Marella ❤️
Marella opened its first London store in April, and its new collection with British model and activist Cora Corré gives us a reason to get to know the Italian label. Corré, Vivienne Westwood’s granddaughter, has co-designed an autumn wardrobe led by a roomy chocolate trench, a short checked coat and a leather bomber with a matching pencil skirt. The oversized knits can be worn as jumpers or mini dresses, while a black open-back satin dress and a red mini have evenings covered. There’s more to play with here than the coat that first caught our eye. The collection is available at Marella.
Birkenstock Is Letting London Put Its Stamp on the Moc Toe 👞
If you’ve been eyeing up Birkenstock’s Moc Toe shoes, the London store has given you another reason to go and see them in person. At 48 Neal Street, MYBIRKENSTOCK members can choose lace colours, add city charms and have a pair heat-stamped as part of a complimentary customisation experience running until 4th October. A limited, numbered charm designed by Andu Masebo is also offered with a qualifying campaign purchase, subject to availability. The Highwood Moc Lace Low is £150 at Birkenstock. We like the idea of leaving with a pair that looks a little more like yours before you’ve even worn it in.
Gap and A.P.C. Find Common Ground in Denim 👖
Gap and A.P.C. both know the value of clothes you wear until they feel like yours. Their 37-piece collaboration starts with denim, including Japanese denim jeans (£120) and a structured jacket (£110), then moves into Oxford shirts, sailor stripes and corduroy tailoring.
There’s a touch of ’60s cinema running through it all, right down to The Long Way, a short campaign film shot in Montmartre. The collection is at Gap stores and online. We came for the jeans, but that corduroy blazer is making a case for itself.
Barbour’s Tartan Steps Out of the Lining 🧥
You know that glimpse of tartan inside a Barbour jacket? Well, the check is getting some time on the outside. Shadow Classic Tartan keeps things muted, Birchwood Tartan brings in softer blues, camel and navy, and Icons in Tartan takes the pattern across some of the brand’s familiar outerwear. If a full tartan coat feels like a lot for a Tuesday, the Shae V-Neck Tartan Wool Jumper is £109. The short, showerproof Delilah Tartan Jacket is £199, and it's making us reconsider how much check is too much check.
H&M Made a Night of London Fashion Week 🎭
Brazilian ballerina Ingrid Silva opened the show, Nick Knight and SHOWstudio filled the runway with shifting imagery, and Labrinth finished with a surprise live performance. H&M gave its London Fashion Week presentation plenty of theatre, with clothes that changed mood along the way. Three Autumn 26 womenswear drops moved from jacquard and lace to sharper, pared-back looks and more eclectic pieces. H&M Studio and H&M Atelier menswear joined them on the runway. If you were watching from your sofa, the first womenswear drop and Atelier pieces are at H&M.
Trinny London Wants Your Skin Tint to Do a Bit More 💛
Skin tints can be lovely until you want them to cover something. Trinny London’s new FEARLESS Skin Tint Drops are designed to give lightweight coverage while helping to even the look of redness and pigmentation. Founder Trinny Woodall developed them with changing skin in mind, particularly for women over 40 who find that the foundation they once relied on no longer feels quite right.
There are 30 shades, and the drops can be applied with fingers, a sponge or a brush. Trinny says the formula gives a luminous finish without settling into fine lines; we’d want to see how it wears before making that call ourselves. FEARLESS is £45 at Trinny London.
Poco Beauty Has Landed at Selfridges 💄
Irish beauty brand Poco Beauty has brought its streamlined approach to makeup and skincare to Selfridges. Founded by Pippa O’Connor Ormond, it’s built around products intended to take some of the fuss out of getting ready, from its Universal Glow SPF 30 (£32) to Skintuition foundation (£32), concealer (£23) and the newer Dreamglow skincare range.
You can explore Poco Beauty at Selfridges or find it in-store in London, Birmingham and Manchester. If you’ve been curious about the brand, you can finally get a proper look at it beyond a screen
Miller Harris Turns Up the Depth on Scherzo 🌹
Miller Harris has revisited Scherzo, its fragrance inspired by a passage from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night. Scherzo Extrait de Parfum keeps the original’s floral sweetness, then brings rose, incense, patchouli and amber woods further into the picture. The result, on paper at least, sounds like Scherzo after dark.
At a 30% fragrance concentration, this is one we’d especially like to smell on skin rather than judge from a list of notes. The 50ml bottle is £145 at Miller Harris. Fragrance fans who already know the original may find the comparison half the fun.
Peep Club Gives Under-Eyes a Little Attention 👀
Peep Club’s new Lidstick Correcting range is built around three different under-eye concerns: dryness, dark circles and fine lines. The Dry Under Eye Correcting Lidstick is £30, while the Dark Circle Correcting Lidstick is £35. The fine-lines balm is due on 24th October.
The clever detail is the patented applicator. You click up and apply the balm first, then use the attached massage sphere separately, giving you more control over how much goes around your eyes. Anyone who has squeezed out far too much eye cream will know the feeling, and we’re glad Peep Club has paid attention to that bit.
Primark Has Opened a K-Beauty Mini Mart 💙
If your Korean beauty wish list keeps getting longer, Primark and PURESEOUL may have made your next browse rather interesting. Their new K-Beauty Mini Mart brings together skincare, sun care and makeup from smaller lines connected to established Korean beauty brands, all exclusive to Primark. Among the names to look for are Dear Thing, First Edition and Dermablock.
The edit is in selected Primark stores in the UK, so keep an eye on the beauty aisle next time you’re in. The Green Tomato serum, collagen eye stick and Jelly Touch Pot give us plenty to investigate once we get there.
Aroma-Zone Wants the Whole Face Off 🧼✨
Mascara, SPF, long-wearing base. Whether we’re coming home from work or rolling in after a night out, we’re ready to take it all off. Aroma-Zone’s new Oat & Phytosterols Makeup Removing Balm (£10) is designed to remove even waterproof makeup, turning from balm to milk when you add water.
It’s fragrance-free and made with oat oil and pine-derived phytosterols. Aroma-Zone says it leaves skin feeling comfortable rather than dry or tight after cleansing. We’ll have to put that to the test. We’ll keep you posted.
HydroPeptide Takes on the Marks That Linger ✨
The spot has gone, but the mark it left behind is still there weeks later. HydroPeptide’s new Syner-C+ Multi-Action Brightening Serum (£143 for 30ml) is made with concerns like that in mind. It combines a 20% vitamin C derivative, tranexamic acid and niacinamide with the brand’s patented peptide delivery system. HydroPeptide says it’s designed to improve the look of dark spots and uneven tone. For anyone looking at their skincare shelf and wondering which serum is meant to do that job, this one seems to have a clear answer.
The Black British Book Festival Is Almost Here 📖
The Black British Book Festival takes over London’s Barbican on Sunday 4th October, with Candice Carty-Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae and Wretch 32 among its headline conversations. There’s also poetry, workshops, activities for younger readers and plenty for people trying to find their way into publishing.
A £24 Festival Pass includes your choice of one headline event and access to the wider programme, subject to room capacity. VIP passes have sold out, so if there’s a conversation you’d love to be in the room for, this is a good time to pick it.
Exit Party Opens the Door to Another World 📚
Los Angeles, 2031. The curfew lifts, everyone heads to a party, and Ari arrives fresh out of prison to find people there who shouldn’t be. Years later, she’s living in Paris and still trying to make sense of that night. Exit Party is the new £18.99 hardback from Emily St John Mandel, the author of Station Eleven. We want to know what happened at the party. We’re even more interested in what it did to Ari.
Empress Of Builds a Dream House 🏠🎶
Empress Of is the music project of singer and producer Lorely Rodriguez. Her new album, Dream House, grew out of an intensely personal loss: her family home in Altadena was destroyed in the California wildfires. As her mother began rebuilding the house, Rodriguez was making music about what it means to find your way home again.
That story gives the album its heart, though this isn’t a record that stays in one feeling. Electronic pop, tenderness and flashes of release all have room here.
M&S Bakery Has Joined Too Good To Go 🥐
We’re fans of the M&S Food Hall, so when we saw the bakery news, we couldn’t leave it out. Yes, that’s two M&S stories this week. This one involves pastries, so we feel entirely justified.
M&S bakery Surprise Bags have joined Too Good To Go, the app that lets you reserve surplus food and collect it from a participating shop. For £3.80, an M&S bag contains bakery items with a minimum retail value of £10.20. The offer has launched across 354 stores in the UK and Ireland, with collection in the hour before closing from Monday to Saturday. What’s inside depends on what’s left that day, which is part of the surprise. If you didn’t know about the app before, you certainly do now.
That’s us for this week. We’ll be back next week with more.
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