9/20/07

after dark..

Fifteen years ago you didn't go near east London after dark. The pubs were plentiful - but only the steeliest of souls ventured in. By 2000 that had all changed. Artists, fashionistas and media types loved the area for its central location, cheap rent and "keep it real" ethos.

But now it's not just a tangle of edgy dive bars: it has actually got smart. Being on the edge of the City, cashed-up workers started going to the area, and sparked a blossoming restaurant and cocktail bar scene. The rest of London followed.

Spitalfields Market has been renovated and extended. All Saints has led the arrival of the most chic stores in the area. With the opening this summer of London's coolest bar, Shoreditch House, the makeover from grotty to glam is complete. Soon such swish bars as Notting Hill's Beach Blanket Babylon and All Star Lanes will have branches there.

So dress up and head to the new, smart Hoxton... and thank God you never got that interesting "directional" hair-do.