Why did Kate Moss give the red carpet a miss?

The name Kate Moss is immediately synonymous with the world of high fashion.

So fashionistas were left confused on Thursday night when the 43-time Vogue cover star, 49, was not pictured on either the red carpet or the after-parties of the Vogue World event, where a slew of stars descended on London’s Theater Royal Drury Rijbaan .

The former hard-partying star, who has been sober for five years after decades of raucous behavior, appeared on a big screen at the event and performed an interpretive dance shortly after most attendees hit the red carpet.

Stars including Sienna Miller, Anna Wintour, Stormzy, Edward Enninful, Jodie Turner-Smith and Alexa Chung walked the red carpet to be snapped by paparazzi, but Kate was nowhere to be seen.

The camera shutters stopped no later as the stars headed to after-parties – where both Kate and fellow iconic models Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell were not seen despite appearing on stage.

Late on Thursday afternoon, a host of stars were seen arriving at the event – with Kate, dressed all in black, warmly greeting assistants and organizers – leading the way.

Just hours later, the red carpet began, where the star was not present.

Once things got going inside, the legendary model was pictured on a screen performing a sultry interpretive dance before Cara Delevingne appeared in the crowd, dressed as a punk with a bizarre twist.

The dance was nothing short of sensational and saw Kate walk down the catwalk after a screen moved her seductively in a stunning silver dress.

As the show came to an end, the stars began heading off to the after-parties, with the vast majority of revelers heading to Mayfair’s George Restaurant.

Kate’s ex-Count Nikolai von Bismark was at the after-parties, where he was spotted with her friends Rita Ora and Charlotte Tilbury – having a friendly chat with the former and an apparently brief chat with the latter.

She wasn’t the only star to cut an elusive figure, as other ’90s icons weren’t photographed at the arrival or end of the event.

The show ended with Cindy, Christy, Linda and Naomi – branded as ‘The Original Supermodels’ – strutting their stuff down the catwalk – although they were not pictured at any after-parties as their whereabouts were unknown.

Kate’s partying was previously as famous as her modeling, as she was a member of The Primrose Hill Set – a name given to the all-star group of daring residents of the leafy neighborhood, who in their heyday were known for their raucous behavior .

After attending a week-long detox in Turkey in June 2015, the catwalk sensation was escorted off an easyJet flight home after her airport drinking session took a serious turn.

Kate, who was previously nicknamed The Tank for her love of booze, then quit drinking and hung up her party boots.

In 2020, her longtime friend, DJ Fat Tony, spoke about her sobriety.

Her producer friend – who has been sober for thirteen years – said in an interview: ‘Kate has been clean for over two years. Me and my sober friends are better off now than we ever were when we were drinking and doing drugs.”

The catwalk queen admitted she has been trying to cut down on caffeine and nicotine, and is enjoying calmer nights. In 2018, Kate revealed: ‘I go to bed, I drink a lot of water, not too much coffee, and I try to cut down on cigarettes.’

Vogue World bash was dubbed by many as Britain’s Met Gala.

And while the annual New York event is hailed as the most important on the fashion calendar, the London version didn’t seem to achieve the same goal as talent was showcased at the Theater Royal Drury Lane.

Newspaper critics were divided in their reviews of the event, which serves as a fundraiser for the British performing arts industry, with the magazine’s editor-in-chief Anna overseeing and Vogue editor Edward Enninful was also present.

The Telegraph gave the event a paltry two stars, commenting on the “random” nature of the events and labeling the event as “a fever dream of a procession.”

Elsewhere though The Evening Standard gushed about Anna’s star power, writing, “It doesn’t look like Wintour (who kept her sunglasses on throughout the show) will be loosening her grip on fashion at any point.”

Victoria Moss of The Evening Standard wrote: ‘Lady characters, supermodels – Karen Elson! Irina Shayk! Kendall Jenner! Emily Ratajowski! flowing out, and then the finale, Naomi, Christy, Cindy and Linda!…

‘A standing ovation for the cover women and Vogue’s view of the West End. It doesn’t look like Wintour (who kept her sunglasses on throughout the show) will loosen her grip on fashion anytime soon.

Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian wrote: ‘This air of old-world elegance was a notable departure from the gritty atmosphere that defined London Fashion Week, known for its drafty car parks and stumpy models…

‘The evening was a love letter to theater and performance, to supermodels and glamor – and perhaps the dawn of a new era of elegance in London fashion.’

The Telegraph’s Anita Singh, meanwhile, was less flattering, writing: ‘The sheer randomness of the evening is becoming increasingly apparent…

“Rather than the 2012 Opening Ceremony, this was like the Platinum Jubilee pageant, a fever dream of a procession in which Prue Leith, Patsy Kensit and Basil Brush rode around the Mall in an assortment of vehicles.”