2021 经济学人双语阅读 London Fashion Week WITH its whirl of frocks, models and million-dollar deals London FashionWeek has always been rather a closeted affair, accessible to few. Amateurfashionistas have had to wait for glossy magazines and blogs to tell them whatto wear next. But at the second of London's biannual fairs, which ran fromSeptember 13th to 17th, that was starting to change. Around half the showswere live-streamed to the internet and TV channels with bulletins broadcast tocommuters waiting at underground Tube stops. A free pop-up cinema screenedfashion-themed films. This push to bring Fashion Week to a wider audience is likely to pay off.Though unaffordable to most shoppers, high fashion is the beating heart ofhigh-street retail. More wearable versions of the transparent outfits thatentertained audiences in London this month will soon appear in shops up anddown the country. In the week following last September's shows, online fashionsales were up 45%, according to Ve Interactive, an e-commerce firm. CarolineRush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council (BFC), which organisesFashion Week, expects that the digital buzz surrounding the event will pushbuyers' orders well beyond ￡100m ($160m). The changes seen at the shows are part of a wider effort to bring abusinesslike approach to British fashion. London has long been feted as abreeding ground for brilliant designers. Many of them, including John Gallianoand Alexander McQueen, trained at Central St Martins, a college known forturning out skilful originals. But a tendency to focus on art over businesshas meant that too many designers have failed to make the most of theircritical acclaim. London FashionWeek has long been seen as the tidd...
