Oxford calling
Douglas
Rimington attends the 2011 edition of Oxford Fashion Week,
and is impressed by the venues. It also managed to draw in some
big names
PHOTOGRAPHED
BY THE AUTHOR
THIS IS the third year for Oxford
Fashion Week and the first year for Lucire shooting it in
person.
OFW benefits from one major advantage:
its venues. The three shows we made it to were all set in great
places, with the final Couture Show being held in the Oxford University
Exam Schools on Oxford’s High Street.

The Concept Show
The Concept Show was held in the art-déco Regal in East Oxford.
The show began with an assault of subsonic bass notes, samples and
scratches. Lighting up the show in bursts of colour, with smoke
machines and large neon signs displaying the mostly oriental names
of the designers, this show felt like Blade Runner come to
life.
Designers for Lady Gaga, Ara Jo and Yvonne Lau, returned for the
2011 show, and as the show’s director Adriana Blidaru commented,
This will be the most exciting and unconventional show.’

The Lingerie Show
The Malmaison Hotel, Oxford Castle was a very plush and perhaps
fitting venue for the Malmaison Lingerie Show, which started with
four models positioned in classic poses in various parts of the
venue, while guests walked in and photographers snapped away. The
show was aimed at celebrating women, through seductive, glamourous
and theatrical designs. Designers ranged from Fred & Ginger
to Pure Chemistry. Local designer Emelia Penny débuted her
La La Loulou range.
Being the most exclusive show it could have been a bit longer with
perhaps a more entertaining aspect, but not everyone wants to be
Victoria’s Secret. Maybe this is how they wanted it, clean and simple.

The Couture Show
Despite the show getting off to a rocky start with its set-up being
well behind, it all came together at the end. Glamorous gowns and
garments from designers within Oxford, London and abroad paraded
down the catwalk, garnering applause as the models stepped up to
take their turn. Top Russian designer Valentin Yudashkin displayed
his creations for the first time in England. There was a charity
auction during the course of the evening, allowing lucky audience
bidders the chance to go home with a couture memento.
Among the designers were well known Elie Saab, Nicole
Farhi and Matthew Williamson, who showed off the gold sparkly cocktail
dress he made for both Kim Cattrall and Miley Cyrus in the Sex
and the City 2. Irina Higgins, co-producer of the Couture Show
expressed her appreciation regarding the opportunity for the famous
dress to be included in the show exclaiming, The dress looks
incredible in the film but it looks even better up close.’
This high fashion show was also very poignant in its role in supporting
the Oxford Thinking Campaign, which was formed in 2008 with the
aim of securing Oxford’s position as one of the world’s foremost
centres of education, through the development of a strong philanthropic
foundation.
OVERALL, the shows were an immense
success, but the only real let-down was the quality of lighting.
Each show was inconsistent in both colour warmth and brightness,
with the occasional model coming out and walking in almost complete
darkness. Other than that the producers of OFW
2011 must be eagerly looking forward to OFW
2012, where I am sure it will be even bigger and will attract more
international attention.
Douglas Rimington of Detune
Photography regularly shoots for Lucire. Vicki Matias
contributed to this article.
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