Clothes Show Live – Graduate Catwalk

Getting your foot into the fashion industry is pretty much impossible.

These days, if you’re not Anna Wintour’s niece, you’ve probably got more chance getting success on the X Factor (just look at Christopher Maloney).

So when the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham offers you a chance to showcase your designs to women who are bigger fans of clothes than 13-year-olds are of Justin Bieber, you take it.

As part of Diet Coke’s Style it Light, from 7^th-11^th December fashion design graduates from London College of Fashion, Central St. Martins and Birmingham University saw their designs on the runway in Birmingham’s answer to fashion week.

The Bristol Tab went along to check out the next big fashion thing. Prepare for a fashion overdose!

Tim Rhys Evans

First up was designer Tim Rhys Evans – not to be mistaken with the other Tim Rhys Evans, the choir singer who started ‘Only Men Aloud’.

Models, dressed entirely in black, made for a sombre catwalk. His collection of black veils, sheer lace and fringing made for a brigade of sensual mourning.

He also reinvented the high street hot-right-now fur collar by transforming them into 18^th Century ruffs and even taking a travel pillow stance by inflating them.

Dinu Bodiciu

Dinu Bodiciu presented us with a space age businesswoman in sharp two pieces that looked as though someone had been at them with the gradient tool on Photoshop.

He left panels of flesh leaving us with the belief that less is certainly more whilst jackets with no top made for ‘flasher chic’.

James Whitehouse

Preceding this was what can only be designed as swanky bin-liners.

James Whitehouse presented a patent and petticoats look mixed up with a plethora of completely different styles that could have made for several different collections.

Peach bridesmaids dresses strutted alongside fur, leather and ostrich feathers, whilst asymmetric skirt hoops appeared to be Whitehouse’s signature look.

Sophie Mckeating

Sophie Mckeating was up next with her equestrian look. Riding hats make perfect accompaniments to tasseled shoulders and printed silk.

Her showstopper had to be the entirely fringed dress, not to be worn with a zip!

Lorren Johnson

Versace and Proenza Schouler appeared to be the inspiration for Lorren Johnson’s pieces.

Chain printed silk took form in athletic shapes with drawstrings and jumpsuits. Acid colours gave that neon pop that would just go so nicely with Holly Rivers’ fashion archive.

Bethany Twigg

Next up, Bethany Twigg, the only designer from Birmingham but she was ready to give the Londoners a run for their money having just shown her designs at Graduate Fashion Week.

Her collection reflected the designer’s personal style of loose layers with converse to finish. Bodycon dresses were paired with high tops and pink suede biker jackets, the designer’s favorite piece.

‘I love that jacket, I’m just too scared to wear it!’ she remarked.

May Tang

May Tang presented a fusion of trends with oriental and androgyny taking precedence. Her loose shapes and straight lines in blues and gold made for a simple and relaxed finish.

Ming Pin Tien

It’s not often that a designer focuses on the back of what you’re wearing but Ming Pin Tien took exception. Leaving trails of patterns up the backs of anoraks and leather straps at the backs of dresses, it was the perfect way to make an exit.

Yulia Kondrania

Yulia Kondrania took the skirt hoop and multiplied it; her dresses featured body hoops circling the models.

All of her pieces were draped with floor length fringing which created glorious movement, and a fashion first, fringed hoods!

Timur Kim

Timur Kim is no stranger to the runway having debuted his collection at London Fashion Week S/S13. His line evokes a prairie elegance with double denim patches. However with inserts of deep indigo velvet, this ain’t no Hillbilly look!