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Five|on|one Fashion Show

By iZine | 08 August 2009

Fashion shows always send me into a fear spiral. It’s the one time when the question ‘What the am I going to wear?’ actually counts. Get it wrong and you’ll be shunned by the fashionistas and have to skulk of to a corner sipping a non- branded beer and miserably checking your phone. Get it right and you’ll receive grudging looks of appraisal (evils are reserved for those in the fashion stratosphere, if you’ve notched some up I applaud you). So it was with some trepidation that my moral support and I donned our boyfriend blazers and panamas and headed to the Five On One charity fashion show at Motion skate park. The event was put on by Five on One magazine and pals and included clothes by fashion leaders; Levi, Supreme Being, King Apparel, Motel, Shop Dutty, Ecko, Zoo York, AINT, Penfield, Rockers NYC, Sew That Jazz, CTRL , Fly53, Bitch n Stitch, Skindaddy, Donuts, and My Yard.
Our anxiety was confirmed when we stepped onto the sun soaked terrace and gaped at the eclectic crowd. I don’t know where they’ve all been hiding, but perhaps the sun brings out the beautiful people. It was a sea of ray bans, ripped jeans and gold chains. And the hair, amazing hair. Think Amy Winehouse meets bananarama and you’ve got some idea. It also seemed a mandatory female requirement to get your legs out, whether in leggings, long socks or those brave souls who just dared to bare. We followed a few of these paragons of style to the tent area, where, mingled with the spray cans fumes of the graffiti artists, the shows designer’s were peddling their wares. The Motel jewellery hung on a plastic tree was the highlight for me although I couldn’t convince myself I was cool enough to purchase just one earring to ware pirate style, as I discovered was the done thing.
After several beverages consumed from plastic glasses, the illusion that we were at a festival was shattered by an exodus to the skate ramp room where DJ ASBO was warming up the crowd. As I prepared to peer, Anna Wintour-style, over my wayfarers, I noticed a woman come out onto the runway brandishing a very large snake, and I soon realised that this was not going to be that kind of fashion show. After an impressive display of snake charming in the ilk of Britney circa 2001, the first models strutted out in a selection of bright geometric separates and flirty floral dresses. The runway itself deserves a mention for the inspired use of road signs, which gave the illusion that these beautiful creatures had invaded some roadwork’s along the M4.

Onto the clothes, these ranged from circus couture, to surly street ware. The collections were sort and sweet with approximately six looks each. They were sometimes themed slightly chaotically, however this only added to the off beat feel of the show. The Motel dresses with rope motifs were a hit, as was the decision to pair several nautically themed dresses with plimmies, insuring that some of the looks could easily be imagined trekking up park street. My favourite collection had to be the abstract vocational looks. A frock tailed school teacher posed with an army sergeant (very posh spice in the airport) and a patriotic baron worked a union jack eye patch.

The mood of this collection was captured perfectly by the DJ, who opted for Marilyn Manson’s ‘Reach out and touch faith’ to accompany the slightly anarchic looks. Several of the accessories caught my eye, especially a pair of blue kid gloves which would look more at home in Dojos than a debutant ball. There were Cossack hats paired with structured spring jackets and a liquorice allsort inspired jumpsuit. Props to the model who pulled that one off while still looking stunning, I don’t think being dressed as a giant sweet would do much for me.

Perhaps it was merely the decision of one of the model’s to keep her glasses on, but the overwhelming theme of geek chic in the majority of the collections prompted a mental note to get down to spec savers. Yet it wasn’t all fair -isle sweaters and oversized anoraks. There were plenty of rock tees, outrageous caps and hoodys (with the hoods up, obvi) which linked in with the interspersed dance routines. These including a break dancing trio, who raised big laughs with their tongue in cheek performance. Their rowboat move screamed dad at a wedding but somehow worked. The aerial silk performance left many in the audience gasping. I didn’t even know the human body was that bendy. My personal favourite was the street/tap dancing group, who rocked out doing the splits in wet look leggings.

The whole event clearly had so many dedicated people behind it and the whole audience got involved by whistling at their favourite model and dancing along with the music. It made for an amazing atmosphere, and it must have helped that everyone there knew they were giving something back; the money raised from the show went to the charity Temwa for community development in Malawi. The event really showcased the range of talent in Bristol, in fashion, dance and general gorgeousness. I don’t think I’d expect to find a magician swallow a balloon and a woman eating fire on the same stage as high calibre designers, anywhere else.

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