A mix of Irish design, structured staples and showstopping accessories make up the impeccable wardrobe of photographer and art director Martin O'Neill, who takes us behind the scenes at London Fashion Week, from buzzy parties to homegrown talents.
THURSDAY
As a photographer, I’m fortunate to work closely with many incredible Irish designers and brands creating truly beautiful pieces. This season, I wanted to consciously champion Irish design throughout London Fashion Week, wearing as much homegrown talent as possible across the week. Fashion Week began with Paul Costelloe at the Waldorf Hilton, so it felt only right to start strong and stay true to that intention. Pellador kindly sent over their iconic “Pellador Jumper” from the SS25 collection, which I paired with a feather-cuffed shirt I’ve owned for probably four years from Zara, that somehow never fails to impress.
Taking subtle inspiration from Jonathan Anderson’s debut Dior menswear collection, I finished the look with a Dior brooch, vintage sunglasses sourced from Brick Lane Market last summer which are a fashion week essential, while tailored Stradivarius trousers and my forever-reliable loafers from Schuh grounded the look. And, of course, I brought the incomparable Olivia Spuds as my plus one, fresh from her cameo in Netflix’s America’s Next Top Model documentary.
FRIDAY
Friday was a busy one, with shows across London beginning at Bora Aksu in Covent Garden, so I needed something that could transition seamlessly from day to night. I kept the Irish thread running on Friday, wearing Conor O’Brien’s Navy Shoulder Pad Jacket from his debut collection, Phantom Thread. I styled it with a gold hand brooch, which I absolutely adore and a polka-dot tie, one of my go-tos, reworked into a bow for a little elevated feel, and finished it off with some very simple black shades I wore everywhere that week.
On the bottom, I borrowed my boyfriend’s Sandro jeans for both style and comfort, finishing the look with my small Olend bag. It ended up being a highlight of the week, with the look featured in The Guardian, Broadsheet London and the V&A Museum’s Fashion Week coverage.
SATURDAY
On Saturday, stylist Eoin Gavin and I headed to Shoreditch for the evening Fashion Scout shows. These are the shows where everyone shows up and out, so the look had to hold its own. There were several iterations before I landed on the final outfit. Anchoring everything was a beautiful ruffled shirt by AOIFE by Aoife Rooney, one of my favourite Irish luxury brands. I dressed it down for more of a streetwear feel with Carhartt pinstripe trousers, a simple white long-sleeve from Primark and a Ganni cap.
I always enjoy small details, so I added button cover-ups from Buttons Amsterdam and pinned a collection of brooches from my personal archive onto the jeans. We went to see the JimmyPaul x Pokémon show and were given Pikachu keyrings in the goodie bags, which, naturally, I clipped onto the outfit for the rest of the night. A very cute addition, I must say.
SUNDAY
Sunday felt like the main event, with a line-up of heavy hitters including Erdem, Simone Rocha, Emilia Wickstead and Richard Quinn. With that in mind, I wanted to lean into something more formal and sophisticated. I had actually semi-tried this outfit on Valentine’s Day , so I already had a sense of how I wanted to style it. Sunday felt like the right moment to bring it back properly.
The suit, which fits like a glove, is from COS; clean, structured and understated in the best way, paired with a custom-made shirt from my trip to Vietnam in 2023, tailored for me in Hoi An. There’s something about wearing a piece made specifically for you that changes your posture slightly. I positioned the brooch just in front of the button so it appeared almost built into the blazer, which gave the whole look a subtle Schiaparelli-esque feel. Potentially my favourite look of the week.
Later in the evening, I attended the Charlie Constantinou show at 180 Strand. I hadn’t planned a change of clothes, but thankfully Eoin had overpacked and lent me a stunning Colin Horgan jacket, along with a quick sunglasses switch. I was genuinely delighted, as it meant I could continue championing Irish design, especially from Colin, who is such a talent.
MONDAY
Final day of London Fashion Week, I met up with my friend and stylist Róisín Kelly, fresh from dressing Lisa McGee for the press tour of her new Netflix special, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast. We caught up before heading to the John Richmond show in Trafalgar Square.
By this point, I had admittedly run out of big outfit energy and was feeling the exhaustion of the week, so I kept things more relaxed. I wore cream JW Anderson jeans with a blue striped JW top, paired with a new Zara leather jacket and, as seen earlier in the week, my Ganni cap. Róisín was also championing Irish design in a ruffled denim top by AOIFE.
WEDNESDAY
A couple of days later, I met up with the incredible Erica Cody in Notting Hill for a catch-up, coffee and some photoshoot planning. By that point, I was wearing what can only be described as a Frankenstein version of my Fashion Week wardrobe; pieces from across the week thrown together in one final look.
Follow Martin at @oneill_studio.
Photography by Kia Paulina, @_kiapaulina_, Anna Nowalska-Duda, @baro_nova, Euan Crawford, @euan.crawford, Maria De Carlos, @mariadecarlos_, Adam Weir, @adamwshoots, Julia Jann, @tiredofstyle and Ian Kobylanski, @kobyphotography.
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