Sketch was the chosen venue to celebrate the success of Britain’s online fashion stores. A formal sit down dinner just wouldn’t do to celebrate the future (or should I say the now?) of how we’re increasingly buying our wears.

If you ever wanted to escape talk of the credit crunch and economic downturns, you couldn’t do better than a room full of people working in the fastest growing online sector – fashion retail. To cheekily coin a popular phrase “we’re alright jack”.

Too far perhaps, as many of us have had to fire fight through ’08 to weather the storm, but consider our resilience to the ‘crunch’ compared to the high street and you’ll understand why everyone at the event had something to smile about.

The display of pearly whites and ear to ear grins might have had something to do with the bubbles which were flowing like it was 1999; only it was 10 years later with a crowd so excited that many a champers flute met their maker, smashing to pieces leaving their temporary owners shamed, as the shattering glass attracted the head turning of a bustling mix of fashionistas, web techies and “suits”.

“Dress To Party” said the invite, which many did and very well too. “You must be on the fashion side” someone said to me, clearly judging me by my cover of shimmering silver trousers, a wide stripe shirt and bow tie – my Topman.com attempt at a Viktor & Rolf look, probably many a fashion season too late.

Host Mica Paris and Caprice, who presented an award, didn’t let anyone down when it came to looking stylish. But Mica, what was that skirt-hoisting-up business all about? The TV favourite kept rustling up the hem of her dress, as she presented the awards, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

One person who wouldn’t have enjoyed Mica’s hosting is rising star VV Brown. When the DJ played her debut single “Crying Blood”, the What Not To Wear presenter took back her praise for the jockey’s choice of songs saying she “wasn’t sure” about that one.

A few brutish heckles from one attention seeking attendee wasn’t enough to ruin the actual ceremony which in itself didn’t last very long.

The fact that I, and the other judges, spent the best part of a day and a half discussing and analysing the entrants, all to be over within half an hour, didn’t matter. How could it after seeing the faces on the winners? And to be a part of the first industry awards dedicated to online fashion made it well worth it too.

So as the awards were given and the sponsors thanked the after party led to networking, mingling, more drinking and consequently some ‘dad dancing’, before carriages awaited the partying crowd.

With it being the most popular Drapers Awards ceremony it’s safe to say next year we’ll do it all again, and some.

So here’s to a year when the high street retailers take online/in-store multi channel retailing seriously, Tesco enters the online fashion world in a big way and My-wardrobe.com becomes a household name.

Let’s talk more about that after the Drapers Etail Awards in 2010, because ’09 is looking nothing but good for online fashion retail.

Click here to see more photos from the event