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The collection of Elton John's shirts designed by Gianni Versace on display at Gianni Versace Retrospective. Laurie Werner So many of the sessions were sold out that it took several tries to get into the Cartier exhibit at London’s famed V&A. And once I did, the entry exhibit, the diamond Manchester tiara created by Cartier in 1903 was so awe-inspiring that it created a logjam that continued room to room at every display case exhibiting the 350 rare and historic pieces of jewelry created by the company. Since the exhibit opened this spring set to run through mid-November, it has been selling out. (Admission is still possible by becoming a V&A member.) And that is typical of the quality of exhibits currently on view in the museum (in another opulent theme, the exhibition of Marie Antoinette Style running through March nearby) and the energy of the city overall. The Manchester tiara in the Cartier Exhibition Pat London's V&A. Victoria and Albert Museum There’s always a lot going on in London and this fall is particularly vibrant, especially for fans of art and fashion, theater and restaurants. New restaurants and resurrected classics have either recently opened or are about to emerge, exhibits ranging from legends in fashion and music and classical or edgy art are on display. Another reason to become a V&A member is to gain access to the new David Bowie Centre, the permanent archive of the late icon’s vast personal collection in the museum’s East London annex (also sold out to the general public.) The Gianni Versace Retrospective at Arches London Bridge takes visitors on a decade by decade run through the late design icon’s career with 450 designs on display ranging from the safety pin dress that launched actress Elizabeth Hurley’s career to outfits for Diana, Princess of Wales and the flamboyant shirt collection designed for his close friend Elton John. One of the 250 works of Banksy street art in the exhibition Banksy Limitless. Banksy Limitless Must See Exhibits Around Town Elsewhere, photographer/designer Cecil Beaton is showcased in Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World which opened in early October and runs through January at the National Portrait Gallery tracing in 200 items his career from art photographs spanning the Jazz Age to the 1950s of royals and movie stars to Audrey Hepburn’s Oscar winning costumes in My Fair Lady. In a completely different vein, at South Kensington’s Sussex Mansions, 250 works by the witty, renegade street artist Banksy, many from private collections, are on display in the exhibition Banksy Limitless. A selection of dishes at the new Italian restaurant Cicoria inside London's Royal Opera House. New Restaurants The opera season at the Royal Opera House kicked off in September and so did a new Italian restaurant from British chef and Gordon Ramsay protégé Angela Hartnett on the fifth floor. Cicoria is open all day for dishes such as Guinea fowl agnolotti with Lardo di Colonnata and a salad of Treviso, figs and shallots with aged balsamic, has an expansive outdoor terrace and is open for those even without opera tickets. Those perusing the art at Somerset House, either the classic collection at The Cortauld Gallery and the cutting edge photography exhibits currently on view, or coming in to skate at the rink in the courtyard from mid-November to mid January have a number of dining options such as the longtime favorite, seasonal ingredient-focused Spring. A new one in the complex is Aram featuring dishes from the Eastern Mediterranean and popular for breakfast and lunch with dishes such as Pasta Chicken Salad with peppers, sumac, onion and sundried tomatoes and Carrot Salad with shredded carrot, raisins, coriander, radicchio, pomegranate molasse and vinegar and oil dressing and pastries such as sticky date and cardamom cake. The dining room of The Lavery in South Kensington. Copyright Henry Bourne A short walk from the Banksy exhibit and the V&A is the just opened second floor dining room of The Lavery, so named for its location in the Grade II listed Georgian townhouse that is the former home of Anglo-Irish painter Sir John Lavery. The room is elegant and so is the food with dishes such as Portland crab salad with shaved fennel, datterini tomato, chicory and bottarga and Wild seabass with Scottish girolle, coco beans and mojo verde. And in Covent Garden, an outpost of the Hong Kong based Cô Thánh opened in mid October; the Vietnamese restaurant is chef Brian Woo’s tribute to his mentor, the late street food specialist Nguyễn Thị Thanh, who gained fame as the Lunch Lady in the Vietnam episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. The cooking is precise and authentic and even commonly featured dishes such as bún thịt ga nướng (vermicelli with lemongrass roasted chicken) zing with flavor. The pork pie at Rosi. ©johncarey2025 British food isn’t being left out of new openings: Rosi debuted in September in the colorful muraled room in Mayfair’s Hotel Beaumont that previously housed the Colony Grill. With new chef Lisa Goodwin Allen at the helm, British classics are being reinterpreted and served in an elevated form such as a crusty rectangular pork pie ceremoniously rolled on a cart and carved tableside, Seafood Cocktail with Marie-Rose sauce, Corn-fed Chicken Diane and a classic Sunday lunch of Roast Sirloin of Beef with Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and crusty potatoes. Since the British love their desserts, there are also a rich Mayfair Millionaire Tart with salted caramel and chocolate and a fun mix your own sundae with choices of ice cream, sauce and toppings. And two other British classics are on the way: restaurateur Jeremy King who co-created The Wolseley, The Ivy, Le Caprice and the Colony Grill is reviving historic beef showcase Simpson’s in the Strand. And a new version of Le Caprice is reportedly due to open led by restaurateur Richard Caring at The Chancery Rosewood. The Hotel Scene That hotel was the hottest luxury hotel opening of the year; others tentatively scheduled to open this year have been pushed to 2026 and it’s a significant group including the Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch, Cambridge House Auberge Collection and Six Senses London. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for London’s hospitality sector,” according to Josh Novick. Vice President, Business Development - London & Partners who notes that 73 hotels, of which 27% are luxury hotels, are set to open in 2026 alone. And since visitor numbers have risen 3% year after year, he doesn’t think, as others have suggested, that there will be an oversupply. “The demand for quality and variety remains strong,” he says. “It’s also important to recognize the resilience of the luxury travel market. While the everyday consumer may be balancing budgets, the luxury segment continues to show remarkable stability in the face of wider economic pressure.” And, given its history, London will undoubtedly offer diversions to encourage those visitors to come. MORE FROM FORBES ForbesThe Chancery Rosewood: London’s Long-Awaited Hotel Opens Its DoorsBy Laurie WernerForbesExperience Sharp Redesigns And New Restaurants At 2 Top London HotelsBy Laurie WernerForbesMandarin Oriental Mayfair Is A Serene Hidden Gem In LondonBy Laurie WernerForbesChic Apartments For Overnight Stays Attached To 2 Top London HotelsBy Laurie Werner Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
