Ahead of London Fashion Week, Condé Nast Traveller sat down with Laura Weir, CEO of the British Fashion Council, for her personal map of the capital — and it's refreshingly low-fuss for someone with access to every front row in town.
Her heart belongs to Clerkenwell, specifically Exmouth Market, where she's been coming since a teenage internship at the old Guardian offices. She rates the street for its mix of restaurants trading "shoulder to shoulder," a still-functioning DIY shop, and a total absence of vape shops — her benchmark for a healthy high street. Café Kick holds her happiest young-Londoner memories, and the Our Most Holy Redeemer church is her favourite in the city.
For lunch, she points to Maison François on Duke Street in St James's: cosy, old-world, with a dessert trolley she calls criminally good — equally suited to a hearty Sunday roast or a quick weekday bite. Back on Exmouth Market, Vesper is the latest from chef Jackson Boxer, serving food she describes as curious and unexpected without being difficult.
On the drinks front, the Fumoir at Claridge's remains her pick for a low-lit, old-school Mayfair night out (though it's under renovation at the moment). Near Jermyn Street, she recommends the American Bar at The Stafford — unremarkable interiors, near-perfect Old Fashioneds — and a nightcap at Bar Finch, where the Martini-and-cheeseburger combo apparently earns the phrase "world-changing." Non-coffee drinkers take note: she skips caffeine entirely and heads to Arome on Duke Street, opposite Selfridges, for matcha and an egg mayo sandwich she swears by.
Culture gets equal billing. She has tickets to Story at the National Theatre, a drama about a newsroom that appeals to her ex-journalist instincts, and champions the ritual of dressing up, having a drink and walking back out into the city afterwards. Across the river from the British Fashion Council offices, BFI Southbank rounds out her list, with curated film seasons where you can revisit a favourite or gamble on something unfamiliar on the big screen.
Why it matters: this is a Fashion Week-adjacent guide you can actually use. Weir's picks skew towards neighbourhood spots rather than splashy flagships — an Exmouth Market evening, a St James's lunch, a Southbank film — so it works whether or not you're in town for the shows. It's aimed at travellers who want their London itinerary to feel like a local's, with a side of fashion-world credibility.