Fashion High

Where do I even begin?

It is from one speck, one idea that ignites the workings of a world.

I begin with Evolution- our school’s 2010-2011 fashion show.

It was a magical night, my first fashion show. Although I sat IN THE FREAKING SECOND LAST ROW and had a dinosaur of a camera from the prehistoric times of 2003 (!) to take pictures with, it was so worthwhile. I mean, I was willing to sacrifice my precious sleep for it! I got home way past my bedtime of 9:3o p.m., ate some pie (because I felt like it) and hit the sacks. Wouldn’t call it beauty sleep because I woke up with eye bags that reached my cheeks. AHAH me be joking, ‘cuz that’s just gross.

Anyways, the show kicked off with “Genesis” an opening with the full cast of Evolution dancing to Lady Gaga’s Monsterball Tour Intro.

Can you see the Big Bang exploding?

 

From caveman to Coco!

The first collection was “Evanescent” popping to The Flashbulb’s Passage D (Neus Remix).

The collection’s theme was “a transition from a more feminine style to a more edgy one,” and inspired by style icons like Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld.

Next came “The Factory” dropping to Yanerz’s Theory of Everything.

This collection just oozes Andy Warhol and ’70′s mod. Just look at that Campbell’s Soup mini!

And then “Dumpster Demons” stole the stage with Fever Ray’s Triangle Walks (Rex the Dog Remix).

My favourite skirt had to belong to this collection.

How jaw dropping is that airy tulle in raspberry?!

I know just the friend who would pull of this collection’s grungy ’90′s look.

Scene four was “La Comptoir de la Folie” or “The Counter of Madness” in French.

It was the marriage of fashion and oil spill awareness with Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall Remix.

Then came “Captivated” with the tagline: “All the World’s A Cage.” Now that I think of it, because all the world is a stage, it becomes a cage.

My camera’s REAL GREAT with time exposure, eh? Especially when I don’t want it to be. At least the model looks like he sprouted wings!

The scene’s tune was The Bloody Beetroot’s Rombo (Dirty Disco Youth Remix).

Scene Six was “The Web” which had us grooving to Santigold’s Shove It.

And now we have arachnid-limbs! Thanks camera, you’re the best.

Left: Post-intermission dance scene outfit, Right: Midriff- revealing dress

The draped knit-spiderweb-over-dress dress

Spiderweb corset

After that, “The Sands of Time” asked us “When will time run out?” This was the only collection from a male designer.

We saw dark lace and metal chains drift in beat to Massive Attack’s Paradise Circus.

The last scene before the intermission was “Leader of the Gang” that brought to the audience a lot of Power, Passion and Excitement!

Oh, a Firebird!

The testosterone charged outfits were paired with classic Chuck’s. The all male model cast performed a range of macho gestures in their dances. It was so cliché, it was fun! The songs played were ACDC’s Thunderstruck (Crookers Remix), Passion Pit’s Sleepyhead and Wolfgang Gartner’s 5th Symphony.

During the precious 15 minutes we had to stretch our legs, my friends and I  stumbled upon the world’s most photogenic washroom. White tiles produced the perfect backdrop and the overhead lighting flattered everyone. Even my camera cooperated! Everyone stared at us like we were freaks, but heck with that because we took some hella good shots.

We must’ve had too much fun during intermission because by the time I went into the auditorium, the performance (song) had already started. My friend said, “It just looks like someone cut up American Apparel stuff.” And then we found out it was just a dance. Phew!

“El Condor Pasa” was the next collection (“If I Could” in Spanish). The soundtrack for this collection was Simon & Garfunkel’s El Condor Pasa (fitting!) and Woodhand’s I Wasn’t Made for Fighting

Scene ten was the flamboyant “Outrage” danced to Designer Drugs’ Drop Down.

Peacock feather color palettes ruled- with one exception, a shock of pink.

The next dress was a favourite from the audience:

With the exceptional pleating and just the right amount of décor, it wasn’t hard to see why!

Up next was “An Extraterrestrial Fantasy.”

A swirl of synthetic, metallic fabrics and CD disk belts filled the stage.

It was all artificial flavoured and futurist strapping. From where I was sitting, it was easy to spot the bright, shiny colors.

Here were the designer’s sketches:

The playlist for this scene is Roisin Murphy’s Ramalama and Katy Perry’s E.T. (Futuristic Lover)

Scene twelve was anything but “Reel Negative.” The collection name came from the designers’ appreciation of photography and film:

There were even film strips sewn on fabric!

The song chosen was Audio Bullys remix of Nancy Sinatra’s Shot You Down (Bang Bang) to convey the old Hollywood glamor feel of the collection.

The last collection (’bout time, my fingers are starting to hurt!) was “Kusudama” inspired by the elegant art of origami.

This was the only collection with soft, light pastel colors. Heavy maroons, reds, silver, black and browns or solid crayon colors I saw consistently throughout the other collections weren’t present here!

Oh but there is a bonus scene- “The Fusion”, a dance featuring select outfits from each design with Kid Cudi ft. Dan Black’s Symphonies (Dada Life Remix). Whoever was behind choosing the songs for the show is an utter genius!

Now I want to go all Tyra Banks in Top Model’s elimination round on you guys but lemme just put it to you this way:

Third place: “Reel Negative” (right of stage)

Second place: “Kusudama” (left of stage)

First place: “Le Comptoir de la Folie” (center-right of stage)

Congratulations to all those who’ve won! And a thank you to our judges, a Project Runway Canada finalist, a designer pair, a manager/ in-house boutique of a certain Yorkville boutique, a photography student blogger and general all-around fashionista!

BEHIND THE SCENES

Other outfit close-ups:

Left: Dress from "The Factory", Right: Jumpsuit from "Leader of the Gang"

Left: Minidress and vest from "The Factory", Right: Outfit from "Captivated"

 

Left: Dress from "The Sands of Time", Middle: Dress from "La Comptoir de la Folie", Right: Dress from "The Factory"

Left: Dress from "Captivated", Right: Set from "La Comptoir de la Folie"

After the show, our school’s first edition of our “by the students, for the students” magazine was on sale! It was dubbed “The Fashion Issue” for a reason, kids.

 

Looking just like the box it came in, but don't judge a book by it's cover!

Can’t get over how cardboard- like our magazine is. Isn’t it so gritty-minimalist-chic?

Check out the inside:

The raspberry skirt from "Dumpster Demons"

The spiderweb dress from "The Web"

"El Condor Pasa" spread photo

Open back dress from "Dumpster Demons"

Those were my favourite photos from the magazine. I love the intimacy captured in some of the photos and the lighting really gave a contrast to others.

I sacrificed most of my weekend for this post! Taking pictures, uploading and editing, scouring for more photos, looking for songs on Youtube and typing a post is easier said than done. Why put myself through this? Well a) I LOVE FASHION. Okay that was a real no shiatsu moment. B) I love youth involvement in fashion e.g.  Tavi- style! And c) wish me luck because my friend and my creations could be up there next year…

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