Tantrums and handbags with Pixie Lott and Lana Del Rey

Tantrums and handbags with Pixie Lott and Lana Del Rey - Dianne Bourne braves the front line at London Fashion Week

If you thought movies like The Devil Wears Prada rather overcooked the cut-throat nature of the fashion world, then think again. When it comes to the style hierarchy at London Fashion Week – the bi-annual showcase of the big seasonal trends – then expect elbows sharper than a towering Christian Louboutin stiletto. Especially if you are an A list star expecting a seat right on the front row – or 'Frow' as the fash pack like to call it. For me, on my first visit to London Fashion Week on behalf of the M.E.N., I was braced for frostiness and diva demands. But I wasn't expecting to encounter a full-blown outbreak of handbags at dawn. And how ironic it should come at the Mulberry show – whose most famous product is those super-bling bags.

For alas, there were one too many celebrities at this glitzy event, and when socialite Pixie Geldof and chart-topper Pixie Lott were coveting that last teensy space on the fur-covered front row something had to give. That something was pop star Pixie, and finding there was no room on said front row, she promptly spun on her heel and left the event rather than simply sitting in the, gulp, second row behind the likes of Oscar-winning actress Michelle Williams and US singer Lana Del Rey.

These shows are all invite-only affairs, but the sheer number of celebrities, journalists and fashion bloggers vying, nay, demanding their place on the 'Frow' can be a serious nightmare for organisers. One fashion insider told me, under strict rules of anonymity of course, that it can be an 'impossible jigsaw' trying to get the seating right at the big shows. “Everyone thinks they are 'frow-worthy', but when you are trying to fit in some of the world's biggest celebrities, opinion-formers and fashion editors you are looking at an impossible jigsaw,” he sighed. With hundreds of fragile egos to attend to, it's hardly a surprise there are plenty of diva strops. Me, being a first timer and all, found myself at the monster-themed Mulberry show on the very furthest furry bench from the catwalk.

We had both opted for all-black ensembles for the occasion, in my case mainly to try to fade into the background and escape the wrath of any eagle-eyed fashionistas who might have noticed my dress was most definitely from 'last season'. My colleague, a seasoned attendee at fashion week, laughed: “There's no point trying to compete with the fashionistas, so it's always safer to wear black – and sunglasses.” Ah yes, sunglasses. I was warned before I came that these are obligatory – even in the darkened rooms of most catwalk shows. Meanwhile even at the more fringey-fashion events at this year's extravaganza I watched a-gog as style people threw their weight around to gain a place on that all-important 'Frow'.