Catwalk was definitely a student fashion show, but a good one

At the end of RAG week 2016, Catwalk was revived after being away for a year. Was the revival of this fashion show strong enough to compete with the likes of FS and Don’t Walk though?

The show followed the theme of streetstyle, which was personalised to the style of St Andrews by showcasing various brands with shops in town, along with many clothes sourced from local charity shops. 25 models strutted their stuff down the runway in a total of over 200 different outfits.

Earlier in the day when I visited back stage of the show during the final rehearsals for a press briefing, the models and committee were running around, a bit disorganised and making last minute preparations for the show. Committee members and models were not afraid to hide their nervousness. While the disorganisation of earlier in the day did not translate to the show later that night, certain details slipped through. Most notably, the VIP section was not its own section.

There were tables set up randomly with decorations and bottles of wine, but there was nothing stopping other guests who arrived earlier from taking the bottle. VIP’s also received goody bags, but they were dismal at best, only containing a handful of advertisements for brands in the show, a carton of coconut water and a bag of popcorn—from sponsors VitaCoco and Propercorn, respectively.

Upon entrance to Club 601, guests were greeted with a complimentary glass of wine, from the sponsor Barefoot Wines, and music from Staley Sharples who would proceed to DJ the rest of the show. The show was set up in two thirty minute segments with a thirty minute break in between. While models kept up great energy throughout the entire show, the choreography, music, and fashion was lacking by the end.

Within the show, almost all clothes were sourced from places that students could reasonably shop from. Models wore clothes from Superdry, Rachel McMillan, Neven, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Sam Brown, Phase Eight, Godiva Boutique, Artery Gallery Ltd, Your Shop (Union Shop), Whisper Exquisite Lingerie, the Scottish Shop St Andrews, Eden, Pink Poodle, Nicci.n, Jungle, Scaramanga, CCW, Kakao by K, Fat Face, and University of St Andrews shop.

Charity shops used included Save the Children, Oxfam, the Salvation Army and British Heart Foundation. In following the theme of St Andrews streetstyle, the use of clothing found at Re:fashion was one of the most interesting and fitting sections. Regarding the professionalism of the show, it was discouraging to see some outfits wrinkled and marked. Additionally, some models appeared extremely uncomfortable to be on stage.

Two of my personal favourite outfits in the show were Chris MacRae in a Panthers jersey since the Superbowl was the next day and another model wearing just a bathrobe and pants. It was obvious that the designers just wanted another chance to show off his abs.

After the show finished, Club 601 was opened for an afterparty where more people were able to enter and join the RAG week festivities. The Union night out crowd really livened up the event as purple Pablos were served throughout the night as multiple student loved DJ’s played.

When focusing on the fashion, many of the guests were better dressed to the grunge and streetstyle theme that the show originally promised to encapsulate compared to the models who wore a couple outfits that seemed to be inspired by the golf tourists we occasionally see in town. Leather, lace, sequins, bold prints, and ambitious heels adorned the attendees who looked absolutely fabulous.

In the end, it was very much a student fashion show, but a good one. Attendees called to their friends as they walked down the stage and drinks were passed up to models (potentially to calm their nerves). While it is no London Fashion week, it was an enjoyable event and I look forward to its evolution in future years.