Review: Catwalk

Wed, 22 Feb 2012

Saturday night saw the beginning of a ‘fashion free-for-all’ in St Andrews, as summed up by one of the many pleather-clad students outside Venue 1 queuing for Catwalk. Held as part of RAG week, Catwalk is the first of several fashion shows put on and run by the students of St Andrews such as FS, Don’t Walk and Réfèt Afrique. The charity event aims to platform clothes from both local and regional shops and designers. This year, we saw the likes of Rummage, Mia Nisbet and Elisabeth May.

Upon entering Venue 1, I was impressed by its visual transformation. The directors managed to manipulate the vast space effectively by bringing the stage right out onto the floor, surrounding it with VIP tables and facing tiered seating. Those sitting at tables got champagne and goody bags, unfortunately for the cheapskates (like myself) the bar had been closed off which meant nipping out for drinks throughout the show – a minor irritation – however the infectiously giddy atmosphere of rowdy supporters and fashionistas alike meant the lack of a bar was barely noticeable.

The show exhibited an array of looks for the fashion-conscious student, with highlights from the first half including Fox and Bhutt’s dainty polka dot print shift dresses, followed by lavish oversized fur coats and hats from South Street’s Rummage. The looks were teamed with either enormous back-combed manes or tightly scraped and sleek high ponies, with subtle flicks of eyeliner a must in both cases.

After stocking up on booze in the interval, the second half of the show burst into life with LMFAO’s 'Sexy and I Know It' blaring while the male models danced it out in Shmooz’s collection of Bawbags boxers and geek-chic glasses, stripping away any nervous energy that had been present in the first half. The much-loved polo-and-chinos, blazer-and-leggings combination was revived with a Spring/Summer palette of neons and pastels for the boys and chaotic prints teamed with neutrals or black for the girls, again from Shmooz.

The Intersport collection was an interesting addition to the show and had the audience practically launching themselves at the stage in excitement, perhaps more for the models than for the clothes – I can’t say I’m dying for my very own pair of cycling leggings just yet – but atmosphere-wise it was a fantastic addition to the show. A highlight of the second half was Elisabeth May’s collection, which saw brightly coloured midi skirts teamed with heels and floaty, floral midi dresses with peek-a-boo backs and strappy wedges.

The night was an overall success. After a couple of slip-ups with tech at the beginning, the initial nerves were soon forgotten in the midst of dance routines and sassy poses to decent remixes of Madonna, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's and Aloe Blacc. The audience were dancing on the tables by the end. Not as ‘serious’ a night as DONT WALK or FS, but with a price tag that is vastly more reasonable, it was a fun start to the fashion season in St Andrews and managed to successfully showcase clothes from local shops (not an easy feat).