by Shirley Donlon
DCU Style Society’s annual fashion show is one of the biggest and most popular annual events on campus.
However, this year was slightly different – it was the 10thAnniversary of DCU Style’s Fashion Show and what better way to celebrate a decade of fabulousness than with another stunning display of this year’s top trends from the best high-street stores such as H&M, American Apparel, Tommy Hilfiger and many more.
The show was held last Thursday in DCU’s very own theatre The Helix and was sponsored by Bank of Ireland, FM104 and Bodywhys.
We were welcomed to the event by the lovely staff in The Helix, and of course the members of Style Soc, and were given a bag of free goodies (always a nice bonus!).
The show commenced with a webcam video of DCU graduate and TV presenter Laura Whitmore wishing everybody good luck and saying how proud she is that the Style Society has come so far since she left DCU. Laura studied Journalism here in DCU and established the Style Society back in 2005 along with fellow DCU graduate Mikey Robinson.
First up on the catwalk was H&M. The clothes worn by the STUNNING models really demonstrated some of the trends that are huge this Spring! Lots of black and white monochrome accompanied by stripes and other interesting patterns which created a sophisticated look overall.
Next up was urban brand American Apparel. A young and fresh collection was displayed here with lots of denim, jumpsuits, crop tops and pastel colours – perfect for the spring and summer.
Tommy Hilfiger was the next brand to grace us with its beautiful collection. Throwing it way back to 1920 we saw the return of the drop waist in, my personal favourite of the entire show, a black and white monochrome chiffon dress. Also popular for Tommy Hilfiger were jackets of every colour and pattern and of course the classic men’s suit.
Speaking of men’s suits, next up was Louis Copeland and Sons, which displayed various classic tailored suits ideal for any black tie event. (Shout out to the male models who did a fantastic job walking in the show!)
My favourite brand of the whole night had to be Folkster. I had never previously heard of them but the minute the first model took to the runway I was immediately attracted to the different shapes and lines created with the clothing. From shoulder pads to fur shawls and prom style dresses this vintage collection was anything but boring!
Of course, we have to mention the beautiful makeup which was done by the very talented ladies at Inglot. They kept the makeup on the models very simple as far as I could see, only using a small amount of foundation and highlighter to create that flawless, dewy look. The eyes were defined using light brown colours and gel eyeliner while the lips were a soft nude shade. In order to spice up the makeup for the second half of the show the lips were changed to an orange/red colour.
Hair was handled by the stylists at Dylan Bradshaw who created a sleeked back look using lots of hairspray that kept hair off the model’s faces, which is very on trend at the moment.
So that’s it! The DCU Style society’s 10th Annual fashion show was an absolute success and a pleasure to attend.
We would like to congratulate all of the members of the style society for organising such a wonderful event and to everyone involved in the whole production we would like to say a huge well done from everyone at The Ink Ladies
Here are some of the looks.
And now we have Amy’s take on the show.
By Amy Lawlor
This year DCU’s annual fashion show brought us through 10 years of incredible, glamorous style which was very fitting for the occasion as it was the 10th anniversary of this amazing event produced by DCU Style.
The atmosphere surrounding the show was electric. Upon arrival guests received a gift bag sponsored by Bank of Ireland stocked with goodies which started the night off with a bang. The staging of the show was symmetrical, ideal from any viewpoint and the music and lighting captivated the audience whilst the collections were on display.
The fashion show showcased many collections, the first being from H&M. This brand is the definition of high street fashion and the pieces put forward on the catwalk definitely lived up to expectations.
The H&M female collection provided us with monochrome tones as well as subtle burnt orange colours to act as a medium for some pieces. It was all about the oversized duster coats which worked well with the black skinny jeans, sleek tops and blocked heels showcased.
The men’s H&M collection however took a slightly different approach with a hipster chic every day look. Again the monochrome tones were in full affect accompanied with khaki greens and greys. Grey denim jeans were a feature in this collection along with accessories such as woolly hats and the occasional schoolbag.
The American Apparel collection next took to the catwalk displaying pastel spring tones. Spring/Summer vibes were given off while this collection was showcased with looks such as long sleeved crop tops/high waisted leather skirts, along with jumpsuits accompanied with sun hats for the ladies whilst the men’s collection was casual with plain t-shirts and jeans accompanied with snapbacks worn backwards.
The Tommy Hilfiger collection was comprised of casual every day pieces for both men and women. The outfits really stood out on the catwalk as they incorporated different eye-catching prints and textures.
A personal favourite of mine was the Louis Copeland and Sons suit collection. The collection was comprised of perfectly tailored mostly pin-striped suits. There was a combination of different black, grey and navy toned suits. The music and lighting really set the catwalk afire, while the models’ choreography was masculine and strong- perfectly pulling off such a masculine, powerful collection.
The fashion show also showcased pieces from the Ilac centre, Blanchardstown centre, Tola vintage, Folkster, Nine Grows, Covet Designer, Warehouse, Bertoni of Denmark and Feature.
As Shirley mentioned, make up was done by none other than the fabulous Inglot team who used creamy foundation accompanied with a mineralised bronzer which really contoured and highlighted the models cheek bones. They used the Inglot gel eyeliner to smudge the inner lid creating a natural look and the second half of the show saw the introduction of a red lip to add contrast between the different coloured outfits.
T h e I n k L a d i e s 