Sitara* is coming to St Andrews this April

It’s more than just a fashion show


Sitara*, a fashion show incorporating dancing between walks, is coming to St Andrews on the 1st April. 

Semester two is the semester of fashion shows, and the pull of glamour and excitement is too much for most of us to resist. So this semester, while arguably far more fun exciting than first semester, can be a lot of the same: expensive tickets, long bar queues, and underwhelming goody bags.

Enter Sitara*, a South-Asian themed fashion show that strives to be different. From their beginnings, the minimalist fashion featured in other shows left the creators of Sitara* wanting more.

Alysha Radia, the show’s Creative Director, said: “We want to take our show in a totally different direction and you can see that in this year’s theme of Mahal, meaning Palace. We are capturing the feeling of grandeur, the feeling of being over the top, the feeling of royalty.”

Rather than look for stereotypical beauty in their models, Sitara looks for individuals with “personality, grace, and natural charisma. People that pack a punch.” – but that’s not to say that their models aren’t beautiful.

Sitara* isn’t just a fashion show. It is the only show that incorporates dancing and acting performances in between walks. The acting and dancing typically follows a storyline, which this year will heavily tie in to the Mahal theme. “The show will be a sensory experience, as opposed to just a display of clothing,” says Alex Collings, Director of Front of House: “Sitara is about exploring South Asian culture from multiple angles, and we’re always exploring new ways to introduce people to it.”

Guests can expect decadent décor sourced directly from India, making the crowds feel as though they are immersed in the show and not just spectators. Alysha also added that in response to complaints about last year’s VIP tickets, this year’s will be “hand on heart worth the money”. Amongst lots of other perks, VIPs can expect admittance to a special area, drinks at their tables, and golden boxes filled with jewellery, bindis and other Indian goodies. During the event, there will also be a raffle of amazing prizes- including a makeup box from Makeup Forever, one of their sponsors.

Lots of people will be wondering what to wear to a show like this. “People should be able to wear whatever they want. We want our guests to feel glamourous, to feel like royalty. Sitara* is of the few events where you can dress in whatever you like and feel comfortable.”

Over the past few years, Sitara* has upgraded their venue from Younger Hall to Lower College Lawn – a visible representation of the show’s sharp rise in status. When asked how they feel about other ‘rival’ fashion shows the Alysha added: “Our quality level is definitely competitive with the others. But we don’t compete with other shows, really… we’re in our own league. Sitara* is not invite only. There is no guest list. We are all about maintaining utmost quality while keeping the tone relaxed. We do things very differently at Sitara*, and I know that people who see the show will feel that.”

For a taste of the event’s vibe, try Bindi next Thursday. Hosted in partnership with Sanskriti.

Photos courtesy of Callum Hyland Photography.