It often feels like September’s the new January, as for many it evokes the start of a fresh period in the year. There’s that haunting back-to-school feeling you can’t lose, of a return to a run of serious months before the next stopping-off point. As the leaves fall, it’s a time for recalibration, as well as the rebooting of goals and direction. It has become a period of renewal and restoration, of having seen out summer and looking ahead to cooler days. But that doesn’t mean things are slowing down. In fact, now there’s a positively spring-like resurgence in the capital each autumn as it plays host to a catalogue of creativity, while an increasingly larger number of growing cultural events bloom and flourish.

This issue, we preview some of the most interesting experiences to be had at the London Design Festival, active across town in numerous venues and outdoor spaces and designated Design Districts. Taking centre stage next month is Frieze London in Regent’s Park, showcasing the cream of contemporary art, not forgetting its companion Frieze Masters, with a unique perspective on centuries of art history.

And we look at some of the key pieces to be found at PAD London, at home in the middle of Berkeley Square, with its dedicated 20th-century and contemporary-design focus. We also check out the Design Museum’s new exhibition, Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion, which takes visitors on a journey through the city’s fearless fashion culture. Elsewhere in the issue we explore Europe’s answer to the Hamptons in the laid-back languor of Portugal’s fashionable Comporta. We ride vintage superbikes on serpentine mountain passes across San Marino and discover with pleasure Aston Martin’s new DB12 Volante.

It’s good to escape, if only in our dream lives. While the economy may be shot and the cost of living crisis gives the population cause to shiver, in the arts and culture world there’s reason to be cheerful, with London’s vitality and pre-eminence in the global arts scene on show. And best in show. We hope you enjoy this issue.