Grays Fashion Show

This evening after a long slow day at work I rushed across town to the Grays School of Art Graduate Fashion Show. The show is definitely worth going to for anyone interested- its on again tomorrow evening. However, I have to say the overall experience was somewhat disappointing having attended the jaw droppingly good Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show in May. The Grays show was held in a marquee on the College grounds so the interior was quite basic, but I suppose this meant all the focus was on the collections being displayed (the ECA show was held in the Old College library- 20ft vaulted ceilings, rows of bookshelves and moody uplighting.... Very atmospheric).
Two of the collections at Grays stood out for me. The first was by Jill MacLennan who was nominated for the Scottish Fashion Graduate of the year award. Her collection was inspired by the Scottish Highlands and was very subtle and textural. She combined beautifully printed silks with velvet and wool in earthy tones. (Look to my Flikr page for a photo of Jill with one of her designs).
The second was by Emma Noble and was an homage the Mods of the 60's. The models wore checked shirts with swallows embroidered on the stiffened collars, acid yellow pea coats, cropped suit trousers and acid wash denim, accessorised with Doc Martins, braces, and wool rucksacks. Some of the other collections were also good but there was a slight feeling of déjà vu. Lots of neutral tones with pop colour highlights, peplums, cropped tops and high waisted bottoms- a lot of inspiration coming from high street fashions I suspect.
Nevertheless still a great show and well worth going to!