Fashion Collective: Reawakening Seasons
By Ray Zafran
News Editor
I walked in with my pamphlet and a smiley face Sharpied on my hand, not realizing what was about to unfold: the most beautiful fashion show I had ever seen.
(Note: due to the lighting and my frantic typing of notes, I was unable to properly analyze every outfit and therefore may not be accurate with each description).
The runway was lit up with a neon blue strip and chairs were placed all around the Agora. Unfortunately there were some audio-related technical difficulties at first, but once the show started, everyone was captivated. A video played, a collage of sorts featuring different shots of scenes that correlated to moments of spring: flowers blooming in time-lapse, a car ride, looking out of the car window to the beautiful landscape… The first season was spring.
There were 13 outfits in all for the spring season. Before even mentioning their outfits, it’s very important for the reader to know that every outfit was beautiful in its own way, the makeup completed every look, and each individual walking the runway was strutting with such style and posh that I couldn’t believe that these were fellow students. Stunning.
The first outfit was a black and white suit with what I believed to be see-through plastic flowers. Next was a white dress with a corset on top, a white flower crown, and white heels. I however do not wish to give too many details about the show to those who did not attend in an attempt to get people to show up next year 😉 . Some of the outfits and pieces that caught my eye were a grass and flower tie, a white top with a long light pink ruffle skirt, a top with an open back of material that resembled a scarf, and a white shirt and white skirt with brown boots and a headband that gave me Y2K vibes. I believe that the look that mesmerized me the most was the white flower dress with the white flower crown, with the top part of the dress being sparkly and covered in flowers.
Allure then danced to the choreography to Lilac by IU, with a beautiful performance that actually left me with goosebumps.
The next video included clips of a beach, dancing at home, someone underwater, partying, playing with fireworks, surfboarding, soaking in the sun, and walking alongside flowers, as Hotel California played in the background. This season was summer.
We were first greeted with a very cool style of a black wife beater, long jean shorts with a chain, a bandanna, and headphones on the back of the head. Next was a beautiful white dress with red flowers printed all over, hair done up beautifully, and a small white purse while the model held reddish-pink flowers. 12 outfits in all, what stood out to me the most were the model with the silky black top, flowy skirt, black heels, a pearl necklace with a flower on it, and bangle earrings; the traditional outfit with pink and the top being yellow, the model who took off his sunglasses for a moment to pose who wore the open top with blue coral embroidery, greyish/tan pants, and white shoes, and the two queens who walked with white dresses and seashells over their heads, faces and bodies, like Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
After a 10 minute break, the show started once again. A new video played on the two screens across from each other on each side of the stage. Slow majestic dancing, someone playing the saxophone, looking at the sun through the gaps between one’s fingers, walking through the fall forest as the leaves fall, the sunset and streaks of light… this was the season of fall.
We were greeted with a beautifully choreographed performance from the dance club, TMVMT, who danced to a song that had a beat that reminded me of a chill song that would play on a radio at midnight. Once again, I got major goosebumps.
Up next were 10 outfits for the autumn season, featuring a warm wardrobe and lots of patterned clothing. My favourite outfits were the one with the fluffy top hat, corset, plaid short skirt, and kneecap long white tights, and most certainly the all-red outfit seen in one of the photos above. Some of the other outfits included: a long black skirt, dangling earrings, and a flowy open top that exposed the belly; a checkered bandanna tied around the head, a leather jacket, and baggy jeans; a checkered skirt, fluffy black top with open shoulders; the checkered shirt with the black tie, white sleeves, beige pants, black high heels, and raccoon hat.
Last but certainly not least was the coolest video: nighttime driving in the cold, dapping up friends, snow falling on trees, a cloudy sun, shopping for beer at the depanneur… this was the final season. Winter.
Up first was a model wearing an all black, puffy jacket. Contrasting to this, next was an all-white outfit with very fluffy leg warmers, earmuffs, a waist belt, and a cozy fluffy jacket. There were 15 outfits in all for this season, and although I would LOVE to give details on each and every one of them, I think most readers would just skip over a giant paragraph 🙁
Some of the winter outfits included similar pieces of clothing, such as puffer jackets, fluffy hats with little extras such as pompoms, bunny ears, and ear flaps, and a large number of only white and only black palettes. Without a doubt, some outfits had me jaw dropped. I forgot that these looks were created by students with second-hand fabrics, not by professionals working at Vogue.
The next three outfits were without a doubt my favourites: firstly, the dark-skinned model who had white winter makeup that complimented her SO well with a white ruffly dress, a white corset without straps, white tights, a fur hat, and white heels. QUEEN!! Secondly, the combo of the model wearing all white and white army pants, and the model wearing a white puffer jacker, a black undershirt, white pants, and brown winter shoes, when they stood back to back as one exited and the other entered. Thirdly, the model who ATE with the winter icy blue dress, which had an open back and white gloves to match, with her hair slicked back and silver hoop earrings.
I do not regret going to this show in the LEAST bit and I am so glad I had this opportunity as a Bandersnatch editor to witness it and write about it! This was a one in a lifetime fashion show that had so much hard work and love poured into it, and it was truly inspiring to see the creativity and dedication of everyone involved come to life on the runway.