LONDON (AP) — The catwalks are prepped, the models have jetted in — and even the weather is cooperating for once as London Fashion Week kicks off.

The sun came out Friday — briefly at least — as the fashion brigade arrived in the British capital for five days of parties and runway shows featuring the latest designs from labels including Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Topshop Unique and Erdem.

One of this year's highlights is the Alexander McQueen show, which is moving from Paris to London — the hometown of the brand's late designer — for the first time in over a decade.

The shows always attract a colorful cast of characters — on Friday that included several nude, gas mask-wearing activists protesting the use of fur in fashion outside the main show venue.