Catwalk 2018: 601 Becomes 60-Fun

Sara Fay gives us her outlook on this year’s Catwalk.

Concept: an evening spent in 601 that isn’t too sweaty, where the dress code for the attendees can be anything from jeans and a crop top to heels and a cocktail dress – where for half the price of most fashion shows here, we receive a fashion show centred around diversity and, for the most part, more wearable fashion. The DJ is beyond reproach, the crowd is fairly small, so the views are good, and your friends high five you from the runway, dancing their hearts out. You’ve just pictured Catwalk, a fashion show in its third year of new life.

This year Catwalk’s theme was Paradigm. The aim was to rewrite the way that we view time as correlated to history. Time and fashion are to be seen as fluid, mixing and matching from decades just as ideas so often are. For today’s youth, social and political awareness have taken centre stage, destroying the constraints so often imposed on them. The beginning of the show, with all the models coming out together and dancing on stage, seemed to symbolise a collective movement and a collective voice, stepping up for the theme of the show.

Source: Catwalk

The fashion was quite varied. Many of the looks can only be described as comfy chic: warm, loose sweaters with blue jeans, athletic wear with sweatshirts that look just warm enough to survive the frigid Bubble wind. The swimsuit line was bright and bold, and occasionally looked as if it had been coloured in highlighter. While these looks were nothing new or extraordinary on the fashion scene, all could work for your history lecture or even May Dip. It was the other looks, more in line with the theme, that really caught the audience’s attention.

From Victorian petticoats made out of jeans or patterns, to bright Macklemore coats with patches from different fashion fads, the fashion could only be described as edgy. The patchwork street section was a good idea – but ultimately was far too bold for what was seen by the audience as a more relatable fashion show. Some pieces were nicely done, classic kilts mixed with modern leather shoes, a military coat mixed with an outfit probably worn on The Crown. Others were not. While this writer may not have agreed with some of the fashion decisions, it is impossible to debate that they held the audience’s attention. (Whether positively or negatively, it remains to be seen.)

Source: Catwalk

The show was an ideal one atmospherically. The crowd was smaller than at other shows, which gave the show an intimate feel. It also, however, highlighted a part of St Andrews culture that was remarked on by a friend of mine, stood next to me: that this was the cheaper, more relatable fashion show. It was held at the Union, and the models came in all shapes and sizes and from different races. All of this should have made the show an absolute sellout hit. Instead, it was the lowest attendance either of us had seen at a fashion show here. Perhaps this reveals an underlying desire for the more elite Don’t Walk, where the fashion is much less possible to replicate on your way to Pret – but the invite-only strategy leaves some salivating for an entry outside the giant tent.

That aside, those who ran Catwalk did a fantastic thing with the atmosphere. It was laid back, and Anna-Sophie Massek was one of the best DJs the crowd had ever heard. The models seemed to be having the times of their lives, their friends hoisting up signs to support them or yelling and clapping every time they came out. There seemed to be a lack of catcalling – the models didn’t feel like objects that the audience was looking to grab, spilling their glasses of champagne on the stage in the process. It seemed like a much more supportive, almost down-to-Earth event. People were dancing, laughing with their friends as jokes were cracked in between catwalks. The location lent itself to a less formal vibe, a different sort of Saturday night.

Source: Catwalk

The event had several aspects that really were fantastic. As previously mentioned, the DJ was superb, the environment was welcoming and fun, there was a diversity in the models such that they felt more like actual people that you wanted to know and could relate to, less like sitting next to the runway at NYSW. While the diversity could always be improved, there was fairly diverse representation, which the show should be commended for promoting. The stage was simple and thus there were no possible eye sores. The clothing was overall very nice, many of the pieces feeling like they should be in everyone’s wardrobes. The show was shorter than last year, running at about an hour and a half, with the plain t-shirt section that had been previously complained about cut from the program.

With this praise being given, and the event overall being seen as a success, there are a couple of improvements that could be made. The auction that kicked off intermission was confusing, disorienting and impossible to follow, much less participate in. Too many guests had gone off to get drinks, so they talked loudly when they returned, trying to figure out what was happening and covering the voices of those running the auction. It might be better to move this portion to the end, with its existence made clearer. The intermission was also slightly too long but this could be because it remained impossible to tell when intermission actually started and the auction ended.

Source: Catwalk

Overall, Catwalk 2018, Paradigm Shift, was a great show to attend. It wasn’t intimidating, didn’t feel exclusive and while it is a pity that more didn’t take advantage of its existence and attended, the show was well put together and it really felt as if everyone involved enjoyed themselves.

Comments

comments

173 thoughts on “Catwalk 2018: 601 Becomes 60-Fun

  1. The very next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t fail me as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, but I really believed you would probably have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.

  2. An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been doing a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner simply because I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this subject here on your website.

  3. This is the right webpage for anyone who would like to understand this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that has been written about for a long time. Excellent stuff, just great.

  4. I was excited to find this page. I wanted to thank you for ones time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely savored every bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to look at new things on your web site.

  5. Hi, I do believe this is a great site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will revisit once again since i have saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.

  6. Hi, I do believe this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to come back once again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.

  7. I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my hunt for something concerning this.

  8. I really love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you build this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m planning to create my own site and would love to find out where you got this from or what the theme is called. Thanks.

  9. Hi, I do think this is a great website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will return yet again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.

  10. The next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not disappoint me as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, but I actually thought you would have something useful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something you could fix if you were not too busy seeking attention.

  11. Hi there, I think your website might be having browser compatibility problems. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, wonderful website.

  12. Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after going through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m certainly happy I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly.

  13. Aw, this was a very good post. Taking the time and actual effort to generate a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and don’t manage to get anything done.

  14. Howdy! This blog post could not be written any better! Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about this. I will send this information to him. Fairly certain he will have a great read. Thanks for sharing!

  15. When I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment. There has to be a way you can remove me from that service? Appreciate it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

THE STAND