I have never been to a fashion show before, either in the States or in London, so when my flatmate invited me to a show put on by a designer she knows I was thrilled to attend and observe all the clothing as well as the atmosphere. The fashion show was held at this bar/club in the East End called the Question Mark Bar on Stoke Newington High Street which took us about an hour on the bus to arrive at. Its this small place next to a pub and we had to walk down stairs to reach the main room, with some booths and a small bar, which was being set up for the show to begin. They had a long red carpet roped off for the models to make and entrance and show off the designer's clothing so we took a seat near the front of the carpet and waited for the show to start!
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| The badge they gave us to wear for the show! |
Already I was looking forward to seeing all the models walk up and down the red carpet even though I had no clue what the clothing was going to be, I just had in my mind expectations of huge fashion shows dripping with glamour and elegance so when I walked in and saw the artistic and almost hipster feel of the club I was definitely surprised. Slowly people started to settle into a crowd near the red carpet to watch the show and I kept thinking I was very overdressed. I came in a black dress with heels as my expectations thought was necessary but almost everyone there was wearing edgy school themed wear such as suspenders, small backpacks, and jumpers of plaid. The title of the show was Freak Art Show and theme of the fashions was 'Back to School' since it was held in early September which I didn't find out till we arrived so I felt a little out of place wearing my simple black dress.
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| The Questionmark Bar stamp |
The show was about to start so we all sat down and got ready to watch! With help from the DJ who was rocking his own school themed attire with a small backpack, thick black glasses, and suspenders, the models started to come out with the fashions of designer Paulina Palian. The clothes were her play on modern school and work attire as her line was named "Bad Teachers, Naughty Schoolgirls" and I was surprised how much her creativity shined in the fashions and how the models made it their own! The other designer was Kamondi Couture by Dionne and her fashions were much more modern and edgy in comparison. All the models wore black lipstick with their clothing; being mostly silver and black the line had precision and simplicity that would be popular in the United Kingdom and I enjoyed it very much!
When I first walked into the bar, I was struck by how simple and hidden the space was compared to something like London fashion week that is covered in lights and cameras but this show was great! I am so glad I got to experience a show that had an artsy and eclectic and some would say hipster atmosphere. The models were each unique and I could tell enjoyed the clothing and just had fun being captured by the photographers. By no means was this show disappointing from my initial expectations, it actually made me appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into being a small designer and the shows that make an impact on London culture that isn't the mainstream. It gave me a glimpse inside the individual's creativity and how these hidden gems can leave the biggest impressions A performance in its own rights, the Freak Art Show is something I will never forget!
On a comedic side note, we realized that throughout the show photographers and just people attending with cameras kept taking pictures of us that were sitting down on these couches in the back of the bar but we had no idea why. I thought it was because we were a tad overdressed for the current venue and show but it wasn't until the end that one of the models said it was because we were sitting in the VIP section the entire show and had no idea!
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| The designer, Dionne, modeling her own fashions |
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| A male model |
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