Josephine Butler Charity Fashion Show

In the furthest, deepest, darkest corner of Durham, Butler Charity Fashion Show took us on a journey through the seasons in aid of Grace House Hospice.

The audience settled down, dug into their donuts and rummaged through their goodie bags rooting out condoms and impressively marbled balloons.

The show was compèred by the excellent duo of Matt Bircham and Catherine Kisanji, who was wearing a brilliant black and white dress of her own design, matching Matt’s bow tie. Her original designs were also featured on the catwalk. Using text and the hashtag #JBCCFS15,  audience members chipped in and had their say on the models.

Catherine Kisanji originals

The models opened with the first of eight walks, and we got our first glimpse at some of those racks and rigs as some models flashed their flesh. I never thought a onesie could be sexy, but I may just have been proved wrong.

So a onesie CAN be sexy – who knew?

Between the walks, some of Butler’s other talent was showcased, with performances from the Butler Tigers, Troupe, the all male Pitch Please, Orrienne Edward, beatbox extraordinaire, Sudhan Raja, as well as a moving guitar performance by Ben Cushion, Rob Collins and Jack Barker, who had the crowd on their feet demanding an en core.

The Tigers were a roaring success

As the show went on, the models became more relaxed, playing to the audience and giving them what they wanted.

Walks included everything from cosy knitted jumpers to florals and bright blocks of colour in the first of two spring walks. Formal wear was tied in to the idea of a spring fling as the models walked with grace in their gowns and tuxes.

The summer walks included beachwear, giving us more of a taste of what was still to come with the underwear finale. The green walk had a hippie/festival feel to it, although it wasn’t as appreciated as it could have been as by this point people were get restless and anxious to see those rigs.

Very hippy/festival/gap yah chic

A hint of what was to come later

The show ended with the highly anticipated underwear walk. Models oiled up and one even committed to shaving a six-pack into his stomach. The increasingly drunk crowd was getting so riled that security had to step in and physically hold people back from the stage.

Real or fake?

It was around this point that security had to step in

And then there was a real treat in store.

Cloaked in mystery, the male underwear models returned to the stage draped in their gowns. With a little help from some lovely ladies, these gowns were ripped away to reveal stripped-esque, butler inspired (see what I did there?) underwear.

The crowd lost their shit as the boys began to work their hips.

What could possibly be hidden under there?

Magic Mike

A huge congratulations goes to Sally Crawford and Lucy Reeves for pulling off such a fun show. Aside from a few technical blips, the night ran smoothly, the wine was flowing and the models were lapping up the attention from the crowd.

What more could you want from a fashion show?

The night raised an impressive £1,828.91 (apparently that 91 pence is really important) for Butler’s charity partner, Grace House Hospice.

Some of this came from a series of very exciting auctions where big prizes included a magnum of Moët, a high table seat at Castle formal, and the pièce de résistance; the chance to have your initials tattooed onto one of the underwear models. This alone raised a whopping £280, as three tables engaged in an all out bidding war to ink themselves onto a Fresher’s flesh for life.

I’m not sure how this raised money, but it did.

The night ended in Wiff Waff at the exclusive after party.

Photography by Josephine Butler Photography Society