Vogue World Comes to London (2024)

At Royal Theatre Drury Lane, a full house had taken their seats at the behest of the voice of God, who happened to be Sir Ian McKellen. Onstage, a giant projection of Big Ben struck 8 p.m. — where the dials remained for another 12 minutes. The audience wasn’t surprised: Fashion shows always start late.

On the eve of London Fashion Week, this was Vogue World, a one-night-only entertainment extravaganza packed with celebrities from fashion and the arts both onstage and off. After being photographed, A-listers and ticket holders descended a red carpet lined with roses (accompanied by music from a live orchestra) and up the theater steps, where most were greeted by a receiving line that included the mastermind of the evening, Anna Wintour.

“Thank you for coming,” she said from behind her signature dark glasses and in a silver trench coat, flanked by the movie director Baz Luhrmann (friendly) and the British Vogue editor Edward Enninful (less so). “I do hope everyone enjoys the show.”

For Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, much is riding on the success of its Vogue World venture after its debut in New York last year. The might of magazines has crumbled, and the future of fashion may well be as blockbuster entertainment.

And Ms. Wintour is betting on events like this one to bring plenty of sponsors and patrons willing to pay for one-night-only access to the starry Vogue universe over which she reigns (not to mention advertising buyers for the accompanying live coverage and social media content).

On Thursday night, her full power was on display, with insiders chattering that she persuaded Michael Kors to bump his New York show up a day so that models could fly to London in time. There were co*cktail bars hosted by Gucci and Burberry and a coat check sponsored by Coach giving out free pashminas, while Harry Styles’s new beauty brand, Pleasing, was available in the bathrooms.