If you’re an avid fashion follower, you will have seen that the highly-anticipated Belfast Fashion Week show graced the catwalk of St. Anne’s Cathedral last Friday night.
This was my first time attending Ireland’s longest-running fashion event (which in itself is a sin for being a self-confessed clothes enthusiast). When I walked in: my eyes widened and jaw instantly dropped to the floor. I was totally mesmerised by the greetings of bright lights, booming music, flashing cameras and a ginormous West Coast Cooler being handed to you upon arrival. It truly made you feel like a wee celebrity for the evening.
That night, St. Anne’s was the ultimate hub for fashionistas to mingle and appreciate this season’s biggest and best trends from not just the runway – but from other onlookers too. Everywhere you turned, there was something to envy after or someone to be inspired by.
One important thing to note was the diversity showcased. I was particularly pleased to see a variety of different shapes and sizes featured in the show, as well as models aged from 5 to 50 years. It’s the sort of universal event you could invite your best friend or mum to and they would both equally enjoy it.
The ‘Runway Edit’ show was split into separate categories with high street brands like ASOS, River Island, Topshop and Stradivarius debuting in the ‘Director’s Cut’ by owner Cathy Martin. It then transitioned into local boutiques to finish off, including Blush, Leonora Ferguson, Serenity Ten, SMC Millinery, LilyRose Boutique, Grainne Maher and Jourdan. All-in-all, it was the perfect show to suit a range of budgets, ages, and senses of style.
Here are some of my personal highlights from the show:
Mixed checks
This was the first trend of Cathy Martin’s ‘Director’s Cut’, which proved that there are no boundaries when it comes to mixing checks and that the more OTT the combinations, the better.
Most of her looks assembled big, medium and small checked pieces together to create one killer outfit. Or choosing a standalone checked item and drawing out existing tones to compliment and accentuate it.
Ultimately, each outfit looked carefully considered and beautifully constructed, with some clever styling that made each piece eye-catching. Although there were a lot of bold pairings – every garment had its own unique moment, and this element of the show has certainly dared me to be a lot more experimental with this trend.
Image source: The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/galleries/entertainment/belfast-fashion-week-opening-show-autumn-2018-photos-37439223.html
Head-to-toe colour
Who said winter had to be dark and dreary? If one thing’s for sure, Belfast Fashion Week took this stereotype and spun it on its head.
All the colours featured were a bright, refreshing upgrade for AW18 – think sunshine yellow, primary green, pastel lilac, and electric blues. This is a bold look but is 100% worth taking the plunge as it is super fun and effective. It requires no overthinking and as long as you’re wearing the one colour all over – then you’re winning.
Animal print
Have you ever seen a full snake print suit before? I have, and I can report that it actually works.
We saw all the prints such as classic leopard and snake along with some newcomers like zebra and tiger too. The audience was also sporting a lot of animal print, which was a key indicator that this trend is here to stay this AW.
Whether you prefer a stand-out or subtle look – there was definitely something there to entice everyone. Essentially, if you weren’t a lover of this trend before you went to the show, you left wanting that snake print suit, guaranteed.
Metallics and sequins
These two trends always come back around this time of year – and is it any wonder? They are too festive and party-perfect to resist.
Although this year, there has been a serious surge of combining metallics and sequins to achieve a punchier, more head-turning look.
At the show, even the most unlikely of texture clashes ended up looking elegant, such as sequin and tulle in the look below:
Image source: The Belfast Telegraph (https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/galleries/entertainment/belfast-fashion-week-opening-show-autumn-2018-photos-37439223.html)
*All images are the authors own unless otherwise stated.
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