With fluorescent lights, smoke-stained prints dangling crookedly on the walls and a fair amount of Newcastle Brown Ale, the stand was fashionably frumpy

LEFT, FROM TOP LEFT: Framed photos at the Ringspun “pub” included those of Sean Connery, Steve McQueen and—perhaps oddly—Sidney James. Images from the Fashion Theatre. REMAINING PHOTOGRAPHS: The Fashion Theatre.
 

Must-have: Ringspun
AMONGST all the frivolity of pampering, pouting and glamour was a stand unlike any of the others. In it, shoppers were able to enter the world of the old-fashioned, old man’s classic British pub, complete with pub signs, sticky wooden floor and beer mats. ‘Hoolig Inn’, put together by members of the team at Ringspun, a young and trendy fashion label for men and women, was totally unique and utterly inventive.
   With fluorescent lights, smoke-stained prints dangling crookedly on the walls and a fair amount of Newcastle Brown Ale, the stand was fashionably frumpy. Outside the stand, half-torn-down gig posters and stencil graffiti lined the walls, whilst inside brass picture lights illuminated the faces of Sean Connery, Elvis Presley and old sporting heroes. Along with the racks of clothes were 1940s-style tills, ashtrays and beer towels—no detail had been left out. It was so refreshing to buy great clothes in a stall that had made a real effort to stand out from the crowd.
    ‘I was a little disappointed when I got here and started to put up our stand. The other stalls had not made as much effort as we were expecting them to,’ commented the young owner. ‘Although we usually use this display at trade fairs, it has gone down really well with the shoppers here today, I’m getting nothing but positive comments.’
   Reeking of cool, Ringspun’s range can be found in House of Fraser and it has recently graced the backs of the lads of Damage. Not a company to shy away from combining high quality clothing with a healthy dose of style, Ringspun definitely went down a treat at the Clothes Show with shoppers queuing up in their droves at the ‘bar’ to purchase their finds.
   Yet aside from all the superficial glitz and glamour, there was a significant lack of the "top designers" that shoppers had been promised. Although there were lots of entertainment, there was, we’re afraid to say, little true designer substance. Names such as Vivienne Westwood, and more high-street yet popular names such as Ted Baker, Naughty, Mango and Topshop, were absent. Similarly there was a lack of innovative and original clothing. In past years, the fashion colleges and Prince's Trust involvement with the show had been significant; this year their stands were fewer in number and were hidden more or less in the dark corners of the exhibition.
   But enough of the negative criticism: the event was held together by the ever-impressive Fashion Theatre.

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