Ah, London. A bustling metropolis steeped in history, culture, and architectural marvels, London stands as a testament to the fascinating amalgamation of tradition and modernity. It also has a distinctly fashionable flair – if you care to look. In her new book, London Through a Fashion Eye, globally renowned illustrator Megan Hess has gathered her favourite of the city’s most treasured landmarks.
There’s a particular style of wit and charm that is characteristic to London’s streets. The fashion here has such a distinct aesthetic that you just don’t find anywhere else – a mixture of their aristocratic heritage with the slightly gritty modern punk look that only the British really pull off. It’s a wonderful place to travel if you love fashion. London is where I first began illustrating fashion, so I will always credit this city as being a place that sparked my creative journey.
When I first moved to London in my twenties, I found a job in a little retail boutique and quickly fell in love with the city. I was on a tight budget, but there was still so much to see and do. I would spend my lunchbreaks wandering in front of incredible architecture and famous paintings in the free galleries, feeding my creative soul, or gazing in shop windows. I didn’t buy a thing, but I still adored soaking up all the fashion scene had to offer.
Ever since then, I’ve always loved going back to London. I’ve been able to experience the city in a particularly fabulous way, being invited to sketch private showings at Dior Couture London or being artist-in-residence for the incredible Lanesborough Hotel. I can eat and stay at places I never could when I first moved there, but what I love about London remains the same: that uniquely British aesthetic and craftsmanship.
HYDE PARK | Westminster (pictured above)
One of the wonderful things about Central London is its huge public green spaces. Hyde Park is the largest of the Royal Parks in Central London and has something to discover around every corner, with columned archways, intricate memorials, and the expansive Serpentine Lake. I love any opportunity to sketch flowers, and the Hyde Park Rose Garden is perfect for this, as it bursts with blooms, especially in early summer. Ride a bike along Hyde Park’s tree-lined pathways and bring a picnic to enjoy in the sunshine (if you’re lucky)! Or visit in winter for the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which lights up the long nights with fairground rides, ice skating and Christmas cheer.
LONDON LIBRARY | 14 St Jame’s Square, St James’s
There’s something so romantic about labyrinths of old wooden bookcases, with little ladders leading up to the top shelves. The London Library was founded in 1841, when there were no other lending libraries in London, and has become a special place for writers and creators through history, such as Virginia Woolf and Agatha Christie. In 2022, Helena Bonham Carter became president, and I imagine her eccentric vintage style fits perfectly among the stacks of gold-inlayed, leatherbound books, some of which still have shrapnel damage from bombings during World War II. London Library has a private membership system, so you need to email them a few days early to request a ticket, which may take 72 hours to process, but it’s worth it to marvel at more than a million books across 17 miles (approximately 27 kilometres) of shelves!
COVENT GARDEN PIAZZA | Cranbourn Street, Covent Garden
Covent Garden Piazza was once a huge and bustling fruit and flower market. It’s famously where we first meet Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza in the movie My Fair Lady, selling bunches of violets on the street and singing ‘Wouldn’t it be loverly’. Now it is the perfect spot to wander through quaint arcades, discovering beautiful boutiques (Dior Beauty and Chanel both have little boutiques there), galleries, cafes and restaurants, or appreciating the architecture of the surrounding St Paul’s Church, Royal Opera House and Theatre Royal. Outside the theatres, wild and vibrant street performers regularly turn the piazza into a stage.
Pick up a copy of London: Through a Fashion Eye by Megan Hess to see more of London’s fashionforward sights. Published by Hardie Grant Books, it is available where all good books are sold, RRP $42 AUD.
This article was originally published under the title London Calling in Issue 36 – The Mindful Quiet. You can purchase previous issues and enjoy more enchanting content here.
