DONT WALK: Fashion out of the Fog

A grey start to the night lowered expectations as predictable Scottish weather made for a wet trek to the busses by Madras; however, gloomy moods were rapidly overturned on arrival, with quick access to litres-worth of top champers Piper-Heidsieck to quell the thirst and tickle the tonsils, restoring morale to the flagging troops. Kinkell is a St Andrews events clichée, monopolising the social scene for the majority of St Andrews events. However, it was barely recognisable in its spruced up form for Dont Walk. It was truly an impressive effort by an extremely professional committee.

An instant segregation between VIPs and Classics, one was able to ponce in public, and note precisely how structured and split-up the event actually was – the separate areas, cordoned off by elegant red rope, were guarded by the usual crowd of terrifying bouncers – despite this, one still had the feeling of being part of one big, bubbling crowd.

The most coveted area was the inner circle, right in the thick of the action – within touching distance from the models. And those models were certainly worth having close at hand! An aura of mystery has always been a trademark theme of DW’s, and ‘mystery’ was certainly the word of the hour as the models’ debuted. The crowd was slowly whipped to a frenzy of anticipation. The models finally emerged, enveloped in clouds of mist. The women came out in uniform, femme fatale-like, and were followed by the men, shrouded in strikingly bizarre harem-like garb. The symbolism and motifs presented was probably lost on the shrieking, rather wobbly crowd, as they rattled their champagne bottles in adoration.

The models did not disappoint – spray-tanned summer gods shimmering through the mist and light, flashed chiseled bodies and toned limbs at the drooling audience. Some rather risible elements came to the fore – a human lamp provoked some chuckles, and good old Ludvig playing the role of what appeared to be a camp banana certainly made light of, and perhaps took a jab at FS taking itself rather seriously. The world of high fashion has always mystified mere laymen such as the author. Many of the objects worn demonstrate a considerable leap of imagination on the designer’s part, as I for one have little intention of wearing bright turquoise jackets, with what appeared to be a loose skirt, to the next business meeting. Then again, the object of fashion is often to shock, and to question traditional paradigms of dress. In this they have certainly succeeded!

Dont Walk has delivered once more, and in spectacular fashion. Its character as the edgier, alternative, avant-garde fashion show makes it more earthy, more organic than the competition, its brother FS. With undertones of exclusivity, as an invite-only event, it appeals greatly to the sensibilities of a town that worships the closed-company event. Unlike other events of the same nature, DW has created a dynamic yet solid niche for itself, and has true personality. One can predict very little, and the fog of mystery is thick; however, one thing is certain – Dont Walk will never bore.

All photography credit goes to Lightbox Creative St Andrews.

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