Why Taylor Swift's London squad could be a middle finger to her ex: ANTONIA HOYLE goes inside the unfathomably glamorous gathering at a low-key restaurant beside a council estate

What do you mean, she's sewage capable friends already? For Taylor Swift, 34, location is nary specified thing, particularly erstwhile they are of nan famous-enough-to-be-mobbed-in-the-street-for-selfies variety.

The singer, whose star-studded and somewhat eclectic personage shindigs person go almost arsenic renowned arsenic those self-penned lyrics of emotion and licentious exes, has partied pinch everyone who's anyone successful nan world of entertainment, from popular VIPs Lana Del Rey and Justin Timberlake, to supermodels Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner.

Last week, connected our shores for her record-breaking Eras Tour, it was Swift's Bash: The British version. On a four-day break earlier resuming her bonanza successful Liverpool, she dined astatine Notting Hill edifice Casa Cruz pinch an service of glamorous guests including supermodel Kate Moss, designer Stella McCartney and vocalist Chrissie Hynde.

For a female worthy an estimated £300million, accustomed to socialising connected luxury yachts, successful beforehand of millions astatine nan American Superbowl and astatine her Rhode Island vacation home, nan venue was comparatively debased cardinal – and is conscionable a stone's propulsion from a assembly estate. The edifice is billed arsenic an 'extremely bully setting' but 1 pinch 'unripe' avocados, according to caller Tripadvisor reviews.

The woman squad could person dined connected nan Argentinian bistro's £22 risotto zafferano pinch bony marrow aliases a slow cooked lamb enarthrosis for £48, washed down pinch a Chilean Pinot Noir for £55 aliases an £18 El Pinche cocktail, pinch Quiquiriqui Mezcal, Cointreau and grapefruit juice.

The motive, too, was unclear. Was Swift plugging her friend Stella McCartney's business connected a nighttime disconnected by wearing a £1,150 moulded corset and £1,509 wool overgarment from nan manner designer's label? Or was throwing specified a headline-worthy meal a two-fingers up to her erstwhile occurrence Matty Healy, reportedly nan taxable of overmuch disapproval connected her latest medium The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), aft nan 1975 frontman's exemplary fiancée conscionable posted a image of her engagement ringing connected Instagram?

Then again, nan meal raised bigger questions astir Swift's erstwhile narration pinch British character Joe Alwyn - because Alwyn's friend, Andrew Scott, was location too.

It was nan Ripley actor, 47, who created a WhatsApp group called Tortured Man Club, aft all, pinch Alwyn and character Paul Mescal nan only different 2 members. That was successful 2022 erstwhile Swift was still pinch Alwyn, and while Scott said nan group was named aft 'tortured characters' nan actors were playing, it surely inspired nan title of Swift's caller work.

Of course, having divided pinch Alwyn aft six years past April for reasons reportedly related to 'differences successful personalities', she is now making love American shot subordinate Travis Kelce. So was her determination to socialise pinch Scott a mediate digit to her ex? A motion that nan erstwhile mates are connected civilian terms? Or simply because she's a instrumentality of Scott's strength arsenic an character and wanted to convey him for inspiring her medium title? Certainly you wonderment whether Alwyn knew of nan invitation beforehand.

Scott, for his part, has wasted nary clip singing Swift's praises since nan split, telling Variety mag he had texted nan vocalist to praise her 'sensational' album, calling her 'an bonzer human', 'a unit of nature' and revealing – tactfully, possibly – that his favourite opus connected TTPD was The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, which is believed to beryllium astir Healy, alternatively than Alwyn.

With Scott connected nan impermanent list, it is possibly unsurprising that his friend, co-star and Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, was besides invited. 

Waller-Bridge, 38, and Swift reportedly became adjacent successful 2019, aft they met while some appearing connected an section of American show Saturday Night Live. Swift told Entertainment Weekly that she was 'really obsessed' pinch Waller-Bridge, describing her arsenic 'unfathomably talented' pinch 'razor crisp instinct' and 'killer wit' successful a missive to Time mag nan pursuing year. 

No coincidence, clearly, that Waller-Bridge matched her pal's style successful a £2,065 Stella McCartney camel coat. Can you ideate nan WhatsApp group chat?

Gushing tributes look a hallmark of Swift's narration pinch different guest, Lena Dunham, nan American creator of HBO bid Girls. Dunham has lived successful London since marrying her Peruvian-British husband, musician Luis Felber, successful 2021 (Swift was a bridesmaid).

Swift and nan writer, 38, became friends aft Dunham tweeted successful praise of singer's 4th medium Red successful 2012, saying that had Swift been celebrated while she was astatine college, she would person been nan taxable of Dunham's essays, alternatively than Sylvia Plath. Swift was 'scared she was being ironic', but 'decided to travel her anyway, conscionable successful case', and wrong 5 minutes nan brace were messaging privately.

While Dunham says she 'insidiously' wormed her measurement into nan popstar's life, Swift much graciously describes her friend arsenic 'a hug successful nan shape of a person'.

And 1 personification who is surely grateful for their relationship is Cara Delevingne, who was introduced to Dunham by Swift years agone and later appeared successful play 5 of Girls. The model-turned-actor joined them astatine nan Casa Cruz, on pinch her vocalist woman of 2 years Minke (real sanction Leah Mason).

Swift herself met nan British exemplary aft performing astatine a 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion show successful which Delevingne was walking. That Delevingne is reported to person dated Harry Styles successful 2013, soon aft Swift and Styles collapsed up, appears only to person bonded nan pair. They person been spotted successful New York and London together, arsenic good arsenic astatine Swift's yearly - and raucous - Fourth of July statement astatine her £13million Rhode Island pad. 

Delevingne, who has precocious appeared successful West End show Cabaret, starred successful Swift's Bad Blood video successful 2015 and joined her connected shape during her 1989 World Tour nan aforesaid year.

Delevingne near Casa Cruz pinch Minke and McCartney, whose summertime 2024 advertisement run she is presently starring in, and who Swift described successful 2019 arsenic 'a friend for a really agelong time, and besides conscionable a female I respect truthful much'.

Swift met McCartney astatine 1 of Swift's London concerts, aft which they 'would spell connected walks, person cocktails, and talk astir life,' Swift later told Vogue magazine. Swift – nan girl of a stockbroker whose family moved to Nashville arsenic her euphony profession took disconnected - became truthful fond of nan designer she sanction checked her successful her 2019 way London Boy, calling herself a 'Tennessee Stella McCartney'.

A flattered McCartney – 'I couldn't judge that my sanction is successful a Taylor Swift song' – collaborated pinch Swift connected a apparel line, Stella X Taylor Swift Lookbook, to observe nan singer's medium Lover successful 2019. Swift praised her 'whimsy and imagination'. For her part, McCartney, 52, gushed: 'What I emotion is really we really complement each different successful what we make creatively together.' (McCartney, incidentally, is besides said to beryllium adjacent to Waller-Bridge – they reportedly attended her father's 2022 Glastonbury gig together.)

Kate Moss, 50, dissimilar nan different guests, is not known to person socialised pinch Swift before, though intelligibly she has nan credentials – exemplary background, beardown manner sense, musician ex-boyfriend(s) - to beryllium successful nan singer's alleged #girlsquad. 

The supermodel's beingness is astir apt to nan consequence of her 30-year relationship pinch McCartney, for whom she modelled astatine her postgraduate postulation for Central Saint Martins successful 1995, and who said earlier this year, 'we've ne'er really near each other's side' since.

She put successful an quality astatine nan meal earlier dashing crossed municipality to her friend Charlotte Tilbury's location party, wherever she was spotted mingling pinch nan likes of Sienna Miller, Noel Gallagher and Damien Lewis until nan early hours.

Perhaps it was Moss and McCartney who brought Chrissie Hynde, 72, on to Swift's soiree. The seasoned stone prima is simply a adjacent friend of McCartney, signaling a opus for her Stella Nude perfume advert 14 years ago, and of Moss, too, who took to nan shape to execute Karaoke pinch Hynde astatine a fundraiser astatine Ronnie Scott's jazz nine successful London successful 2016.

Perhaps Swift, who had been owed to header astatine Glastonbury successful 2020 earlier nan arena was cancelled owed to Covid, and has been accused of snubbing nan arena ever since, was consulting Hynde connected nan pros and cons of playing nan festival; nan seasoned vocalist performed location past year.

Completing nan Casta Cruz clan were Este and Danielle Haim, 2 of nan trio of sisters who shape nan American set Haim, who person supported Taylor Swift connected circuit and holidayed pinch her successful Hawaii. 

After Swift's divided pinch Joe Alwyn, it was reportedly nan Haim sisters she turned to. The women are truthful adjacent that Swift has joked, 'Long communicative short, I'm nan 4th Haim sister now, confirmed.'

As for nan remainder of nan group, nary has fixed their verdict connected nan large nighttime retired yet, but if it was a success, there's opportunity for a reunion aft they've each recovered – Taylor Swift is backmost successful Britain this August for yet much earth-shattering concerts.

• Additional reporting by Antonia Lenon