Explorer's Club

Dinner host Alexa Chung contemplated the tent. 'Whew,' she said at last. 'Thank God I wore pants.' Chung meant pants in the English sense, as in underpants. Everyone at last night's Mulberry dinner had to climb through a tent set up in the ballroom of Claridge's in order to dine. Earlier that evening, at the BAFTA screening room, Mulberry had shown a short film by Tim Walker called The Lost Explorer, which involves a sort of magical tent; the entrance-by-tent thing at the party was meant to echo its role in the film, as a passage to a new realm.

And a wondrous realm it was. Guests including Gemma Arterton and Helena Bonham Carter sat down to a meal executed explorer-style, with wine served in tin cups and main courses in metal saucepans. Even the flatware was hooked, camping-style. Mosquito nets, hurricane lamps, and director's-chair seating added to the feel of genteel expedition. (Designer Rhea Thierstein was responsible for the party's Sir Edmund Hillary vibe.)

'The tent must've been Tim's doing,' said Mulberry creative director Emma Hill, with a glance down the table at Walker. "I don't think a woman would come up with the idea of making people crawl to get into a party. Don't tell, but I came in through the kitchen." Hill went on to note that she jumped at the chance to support Walker on his first-ever film project. "He came to us for sponsorship, and there was no way we were going to pass that up," she explained. "I'm a huge fan of Tim's photography—I mean, every season, when we put together our inspiration board, there are probably a dozen images of Tim's on it. He's a hero of mine."

Though Mulberry's involvement with the creation of The Lost Explorer was strictly limited to financial backing, Hill revealed that the brand and Walker are embarking on a more collaborative endeavor now: Walker will be shooting the new Mulberry campaign.

—Maya Singer