Fashion with a heart of gold
Yet another successful year for the Durham University Charity Fashion Show, which saw students from all over Durham flocking in immaculately-dressed droves to the Gala Theatre, braving the harsh October weather to spot some trends, have a great night out and support a good cause. This year’s event, on the 30th and 31st October, was in aid of the Prince’s Trust, an organisation that enables thousands of young adults who have been in care, or had problems at school or finding work, and young offenders to get qualifications and set up businesses.

As the result of a year of planning, with 11 committee members all working together to create an event to remember, guests were presented with a whole evening of top-quality entertainment. Wednesday’s gala performance began with a drinks reception complete with jazz band leaving everyone feeling like a V.I.P, while those with actual V.I.P. tickets received free goodie bags full of gifts from Skin Philosophy, Beau Bra and Grazia Magazine, to name but a few.

Model citizens
The main attraction of the evening, of course, was the fashion. Way back in May, 40 students were chosen out of 250 applicants from all the Durham colleges to model for the show. They brought to life a range of clothes from the designer to the department store, such as John Lewis, Polistas, All Saints and Jack Wills, and some old fashion show favourites like O’Neill and Vintage Rose. Highlights were many, but included pieces from the Autumn/Winter collection by Edina Ronay, a London designer popular with Madonna and Nicole Kidman; a sporting collection from Canterbury of New Zealand, modelled by some genuine rugby players; sensual, romantic lingerie by Beau Bra; and, my personal favourite, a selection of quirky Scandinavian garments from Newcastle boutique Skirt. The whole show was flawlessly choreographed, with a very apt choice of music from a variety of genres. “Porcelain” by Moby created a peaceful, slightly haunting feel which accompanied a range of bikinis from Salinas; the overall impression was of a night-time beach party. The evening finished with beautiful wedding dresses and some rather dapper dress suits from Pure Weddings and Moss Bros., set to Joss Stone’s “L.O.V.E.”

Guiding the audience through the show were two very amusing comperes, while the intervals were bridged by the enthusiastic, original and captivating modern dance routines of the Fashion Show Dancers, also Durham students. Those attending Wednesday’s gala performance were treated to a highly entertaining auction by Robert Foster, who roused generous bids for, among other luxury items, a gorgeous purple Anya Hindmarch clutch bag, a Swarovski gift set including champagne and diamond necklace, and a date at a top restaurant with a Fashion Show model. At the end of the night, audience, organisers and beautiful people all decamped to Klute for the absolutely fabulous after-show party.

It’s all about the money
So, how did it go? I spoke to one of the models, Sofie Ruffman, after the show, who agreed that the month of thrice-weekly rehearsals had definitely been worth it; “It was fun, everyone had a really nice time, and we all made loads of friends.” She added that she felt the auction had gone really well, and was impressed by the ticket sales for the gala performance. Fashion Show Committee President Anna Cocke commented;

“I thought it went way better than I could ever have dreamt of,” and said that in the last few days before the show, everything had seemed to fall into place; surely inevitable, I would say, given the hard work involved. On the last count, the committee has raised £11,000 from this event, a huge success and a great help to the Prince’s Trust, dispelling the myth that fashion can’t have a conscience. Many thanks go to the show’s sponsors, Allen and Overy, Klute and Deloitte, without whom the event would not have been possible.