Fashion up close and personal

Apart from the £10,000 dresses on the catwalk, there is nothing glamorous about an event at which 400 Prada-clad men and women wrestle with pug dogs, photographers and Kanye West's second cousin's hairdresser for that all-important front-row seat.

But that looks set to change. More and more designers are shunning the standard fashion show format for a showcase that is intimate and, ultimately, allows those in attendance to view the clothes on display up close.

Spearheading this revolution is Celine's creative director Phoebe Philo, who has chosen to cancel her usual slot at Paris Fashion Week ahead of the birth of her fourth child. Instead, the north Londoner will host a presentation for a select group of editors.

Other designers choosing to unveil collections in this format include Stella McCartney, who will forgo her the London Fashion Week show in favour of a black tie dinner at which models will stroll by tables dressed in the designer's creations.

Quirky Italian label Moschino Cheap and Chic's first appearance at the capital's fashion week will also take the form of an intimate presentation, and Australian-born London Fashion Week designer Richard Nicoll plans to shake things up by transforming his standard showcase into a live installation.

The benefits of this format are plentiful, Nicoll believes. "Often a catwalk show can be too concept-focused and the wearability of the pieces can be compromised. This is an authentic method that allows the creativity and wearability of product to speak for itself."

Of course, with the world still gripped by recession, it would be ignorant to think this downsizing wasn't, in some instances, driven by a need to look after the pennies.

"The notion of pouring huge amounts of cash into an epic presentation does seem outmoded," Nicoll agrees, but there's a lot more to it than that.

As a privileged few discovered at an unforgettable Alexander McQueen presentation just weeks after the designer's untimely death, which was staged in a small salon in Paris, to fully comprehend the skill of the world's most esteemed fashion designers, there is no substitute for viewing their work up close.