18 July, 2023
Living design
Now entering its second decade, the London Design Festival (which this year runs from 16 to 24 September) celebrates and promotes the city as the design capital of the world. Founded by Sir John Sorrell and current director Ben Evans, LDF has established itself as one of the most important stops on the international design circuit. While this year's programme has not yet been announced, it is worth signing up for updates to discover what is coming up.
Chanel hopping
The blockbuster fashion show of the year will be Chanel: Fashion Manifesto at the Victoria & Albert Museum, which opens on 16 September. Amazingly this is the first British exhibition devoted to the life and work of Coco Chanel, and with 200 outfits on display, dating from 1916 to 1971, it will chart her life story, from the foundation of the House of Chanel to the evolution of her style, and how it continues to influence the way women dress today.
Medicine man
September is almost the last chance to catch the multi-award-winning actor Mark Rylance starring in Dr Semmelweiss, which transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre after a sell-out run at Bristol Old Vic, and closes on 7 October. Based on a true story, it tells the tale of a pioneering Hungarian doctor, whose research into germ theory was ridiculed by his colleagues, who increasingly came to believe he was mad - though after his death it went on to save millions of lives.
High time
Look up above the main entrance of Selfridges on Oxford Street and you'll see a remarkable clock, supported by an imperious figure called the Queen of Time. Installed in 1931, it celebrated the completion of the department store's grand facade, and was designed by the then-famous sculptor Gilbert Bayes, who developed a new kind of enamelled bronze that shimmered with colour. The Queen is flanked by mermaids holding phases of the moon, and also has wings - after all, time flies!