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Bath in Fashion illustration by youdesignme

Staged by the renowned John Walford, this Bath based show aimed to rival the best of them. Held on Friday the 19th of April in The Assembly Rooms (which is also the home of The Fashion Museum), this show brought out the most fashion conscious of this lovely little spa city. Shops and brands exhibiting their wares included Bloomsbury, Austin Reed, Prey, Howl and Wolf,The Frock Exchange and Paul Smith. There was even a section dedicated to Bath Spa University student collections, all of it sponsored by high end jeweller Mallory.

Animals made from Linen and Champagne shaped fancy dress costumes from the 1400s were just some of the diverse exhibitions and events on show as part of this years Bath in Fashion 2013 and this kitten-walk displayed the same range and variety as the rest of the festival. Men, women, ballerinas, flower-girls, baggy jumpers, eye-wear and lingerie: all got their time in the spotlight.

The baby-blue walls and extravagant chandeliers of The Assembly Rooms reminded me of the surroundings at The Savoy LFW Gyunel Show I attended this season. The interiors of a venue always make a huge difference to the impact of the show itself, and the glitzy decor definitely gave these collections some extra oomph.

Bath in Fashion by Warren Clarke

Standing at the back of the room, I could hear three women, one holding a young ‘un chattering away, giggling at the cheeky smile of a middle-aged male model who, whether clad in shorts or suited up, never failed to excite the female members of the audience. The most significant thing about this show was the audience: a far cry from the young, tottering heels and extravagant, celebrity attended shows of Londres, this down to earth audience gave the show a friendly atmosphere. At LFW the audience are an attraction in themselves and many people spend their time scouting for familiar star-studded faces in the audience while they glance over the collections. This audience was mixed, and rather than the young, fresh faces in the crowd I’m used to, the audience was made up of a more mature crowd: presumably women with actual cash to splash.

Bath in Fashion illustration by youdesignme

I have a few clear favourites among the collections: umbrellas lined with grey city-scapes, and pouffy skirts, as well as colourful baggy jumpers featuring geometric prints. Each time the lights changed there was a new surprise, from girls laden with three or four bags, piled up on each arm, to uber-revealing outfits showing hip-bones and side-boob. For one collection girls wearing dresses adorned with fake birds were styled carrying flowers, and yet another look featured minimal bold lipstick and dark sunglasses.

Bath in Fashion by Emma Ferry

With the knowledge that Bath in Fashion 2013 was almost over for another year, there was a vague sense of sadness as the show drew to a close. Bath in Fashion is a great week in this little town, where the shops, the streets and exhibitions all take the quiet little city by storm. Known for being just a little bit posh, Bath has built a reputation for it’s lovely little boutiques, and love of all things vintage. This is something obvious from the catwalk itself, which shows the city at its most fashionable.

Mallory Show by Daniel Alexander

Written by Jessica Cook on Tuesday May 7th, 2013 9:46 am

Categories ,Austin Reed, ,Bags, ,Bath, ,Bath In Fashion, ,Bath Spa Student, ,Bloomsbury, ,catwalk, ,collection, ,Dresses, ,Flowers, ,Howl and Wolf, ,Mallory, ,Prey, ,The Fashion Museum

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