The current issue of Private Eye has an excellent short spoof piece headlined ‘London Fascist Week begins’. It notes that “black is very much in vogue…black shirts twinned with black shorts and the very latest in balaclava chic”. The story was, of course, referring to the recent demonstrations in Dover and Portsmouth. The headline was inspired by London Fashion Week, which in fact ended last Monday. I’m sure there were plenty of black items of clothing on display but in some respects one of the major developments of the week was the first-ever appearance at the event by Marks & Spencer, an occasion which was celebrated with a show at noon on the second day.

The company displayed 43 womenswear and 10 menswear products (the logo on the home page is from a suit of mine; very much not 2026) as M&S seeks to move away from its maybe somewhat dowdy image. “For a long time, M&S had this fusty reputation,” Chioma Nnadi, head of editorial content at British Vogue told the BBC. “It was less valued by younger people [but now] they have created a modern version of everything we know and love – cashmere staples, knitwear and the lingerie department.” Farron Clark, a fashion brand strategist, suggested that M&S was becoming the “hot” place to shop for women under 35 as the days of wear-it-once ‘fast fashion’ recede into the rear-view mirror, a phenomenon that is occurring as the behemoths of high-end fashion find that the ‘squeezed middle’ of aspirational shoppers are struggling to keep pace with their prices. According to the Financial Times, the market capitalisation of the French company LVMH, whose brands include Dior and Louis Vuitton, has fallen over 50% since its peak in 2023.

Still going strong, though, is one of the UK”s foremost fashion creators. Sir Paul Smith turned 80 this past summer. He opened his first shop in 1970 in Nottingham, where he hails from. Today he has 120 all over the world. He left school at 15 and immediately started work in a clothing warehouse. In the 1970s he was selling suits to David Bowie and Jack Nicholson; today he dresses the likes of Gary Oldman and Peter Capaldi. Also in the 1970s, he reveals in his recently published memoir, Threads: My Life in Style, when George Best once went AWOL when he was supposed to be playing in a match for Manchester United, he was fact temporarily living in Smith’s spare bedroom.

Sir Paul’s show in Milan in June was titled ‘Suits in Unsuitable Situations’. “Fashion is a lovely thing, but it’s not heart surgery,” he told the FT. “All I was saying is, I like suits.” Asked if he was worried the suit might be on its way out, his reply was enviable. “No, I’m not really worried about it at all. I’m not really worried about anything.” Which is a nice place to be.