Burberry and AnOther Toast Their Anniversaries at Simpson’s in the Strand

There are birthdays, and then there are birthdays. As AnOther Magazine marks its 25th year – commemorated in its just-landed 50th issue, a many-faced celebration of kinship featuring a constellation of cover stars – it seemed only right to toast the occasion properly. On Tuesday evening, beneath the dark wood and old-world theatrics of Simpson’s in the Strand, AnOther joined forces with Burberry (a sprightly 170) for a dinner and afterparty that gathered the magazine and British brand’s extended creative families.

Jefferson Hack, Susannah Frankel and Katie Shillingford welcomed guests alongside Burberry’s Daniel Lee and Frank van Loon, as a cross-section of the city’s cultural ecosystem filtered in: Skepta in conversation here, Alexa Chung there, Lila Moss and Lily Allen bridging generations. Somewhere between the Assembly Room and the bar, Maya Jama, Nia Archives and Gabriel Moses – all dressed in Burberry – orbited one another. The roll call continued: Erin O’Connor, Pat Cleveland, Edie Campbell and Georgia May Jagger; Honey Dijon, Mimi Xu and Celeste; Hans Ulrich Obrist and Maureen Paley; Sam McKnight and Alasdair McLellan. 

The evening also doubled as the unveiling of Romano’s, Jeremy King and Robert Holland’s new restaurant. Guests began with canapés that struck a suitably British note (salmon rillette, venison tartare, endive with pear and stilton), washed down with champagne and a steady rotation of wet Martinis and salty margaritas. Dinner unfolded in a grand ballroom: heritage beetroot with caramelised walnuts and London honey to start, followed by a choice of cod or celeriac, finished with lemon possets – English to its core. Conversations stretched across tables, bridging the worlds of fashion, film, music and art. 

A towering croquembouche emerged from the kitchen’s swinging doors as guests sang happy birthday to AnOther Magazine and Burberry, and its candles were extinguished by Jefferson Hack and Daniel Lee. Hack made a short speech thanking his guests for their attendance, but the night was far from over. Slowly the party migrated to an adjoining room, where Benji B took over Simpson’s Bar for a DJ set that loosened the room. Cocktails reappeared (Somerset Negronis, Pear Rickeys), heels were kicked off, and the evening slipped into something louder. 

A 25th birthday, but also a 50th issue, and – if the mood was anything to go by – a reminder that AnOther’s particular kind of kinship is as much about who shows up and out as what’s printed in the pages of the new issue.