Summer Night's Dream: The Escape: Summer Olympics in London

Hi I am back. Did you enjoy with Arianna while I was in Greece? I enjoyed it, but I was thinking of you. How satisfied am I to see the number of page views. Arianna, thanks for writing many interesting things while I was traveling!This article is for you. Thank you♥

The U.K. capital is calling and the moment is now. Let the games begin!

Between the boom in contemporary British fashion and the advent of the Olympic Games this summer, it seems London is scoring big with international tastemakers. One can scarcely throw a Nicholas Kirkwood platform without hitting an up-and-coming style icon. And on the heels of such household names as Burberry and Stella, young talents like Jonathan Saunders, Marios Schwab, J.W. Anderson, and Meadham Kirchhoff are turning heads.

Celebrations of London's vibrant sartorial scene are ubiquitous this season, from exhibitions in the newly restored fashion galleries of the storied Victoria and Albert Museum to specially commissioned projects for the Olympic Games. On May 19, the V&A unveils an exhibition chronicling more than 60 years of British-designed ball gowns, which includes interpretations both traditional and subversive from A-listers like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Erdem Moralioglu, and Mary Katrantzou. Cocurator Sonnet Stanfill reflects on the city's role as a fashion exporter and a hotbed for young designers: "London's fashion colleges continue to vigorously train their graduates, plus there's the excitement of living here. it hasn't lost its edge. Adds Katrantzou, "It has an amazing platform that supports young talent. It's not about being irreverent anymore."

To wit: In the Olympian frenzy that has overtaken the city, a slew of local design stars have been selected to lend an haute hand to the festivities. The British Fashion Council's Britain Creates initiative has enlisted a roster of heavy hitters including Sarah Burton, Hussein Chalayan, Christopher Bailey, Saunders, Paul Smith, Christopher Kane, Katrantzou, and Moralioglu to work with artists like Dinos Chapman and Gavin Turk on one-off pieces for the occasion.

And if the record-breaking number of visitors who made the pilgrimage to Buckingham Palace to see Kate Middleton's Alexander McQueen wedding gown last year is any indication, London is at the top of its game as a fashion capital. In the case of Middleton, icon hardly begins to tell the whole story. "She is a great ambassador of British fashion; it's inspiring to see how her style has positively affected British designers," says Katrantzou. "She has definitely helped to put British fashion back on the map internationally," add Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos. "By her support of both the high street and designer brands, she has brought some polemic to the whole thing. We are curious to know how it will evolve.

British Designers Have More Fun
Christopher Kane,Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilloto Spring 2012

MVP: Stella McCartney
If there were a world record for busy designers, Stella McCartney would be a contender. So it's only fitting that she's been tapped to design the official Olympic uniforms for Great Britain's star athletes. McCartney's championship year kicked off with a special in-shop "World of Stella" installation at venerable department store Selfridges; the next month she returned to her English roots to show a one-off eveningwear collection during London Fashion Week and opened a new store in London's Brompton Cross (which also features her beloved kids' line). But McCartney is not stopping there; she's launching a special Gold capsule collection of 12 signature pieces redone in a gilt motif to celebrate this year's Olympic destination. And for those watching Team G.B. from the stands, McCartney turned out My 2012, an Olympics-themed athletic line with Adidas. How does she do it? "There's an amazing energy here," the designer says of London. "It's an incredibly inspiring city."

Art Stars

Local tastemakers are anticipating the V&A's celebration of sculptor-product designer (and Olympic cauldron creator) Thomas Heatherwick; major works by Damien Hirst are on view at the Tate Modern until early September.