Whether you have attended fashion shows before or are a casual viewer, there is no time like the present to enjoy a fashion show. Attending a fashion show can be a great evening out. For those who like fashion, seeing a fashion show may be your next step, in developing your appreciation and knowledge of fashion. Vancouver Fashion Week offers a line-up of local and international fashion designers showing their collections for F/W 2022 on April 7-10, 2022. Visit the Vancouver Fashion Week website to book your tickets.

I am not a casual viewer of a fashion show. I come to this arena having studied fashion all my life. However, many who are not fashion insiders can enjoy the thrill of seeing a fashion show. A person who is not a fashion historian, designer, or fashion insider may be bewildered or confused by what they see. Let me take you by the hand and give you some guidance on how to get the most out of attending a fashion show.

The Casual Viewers Guide To A Fashion Show.

The Traditional Runway

Whether you have attended a live fashion show or not ,everyone is familiar with seeing a runway show on television or in a film. Being in the audience for a live fashion can be an exciting event.  A conventional runway involves models walking the catwalk in designer clothing usually with music, stage lighting and sometimes visuals. While I use the term traditional , this does not mean the clothes are not exciting. In later paragraphs we will cover non traditional fashion shows that include controversial and the avant-garde.

A traditional fashion show is a presentation of designer but familiar-looking clothes with a simple idea: This is what I will offer for sale next season. In no way does this imply the clothes are not creative or fashion-forward. The conventional runway shows often set the trends and styles for the next season.

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The Casual Viewers Guide To A Fashion Show.

The Controversial

One of the most exciting shows I've seen at Vancouver Fashion Week was presented by a brand called House Zuk. The designer Peter Zuk came to the runway with a perspective that supported his worldview. The collection was an exuberant display of the queer community. The show featured a series of drag queen models strutting the runway in fun fur garments inspired by cosplay. Furthermore, models from the gay subculture of bears appeared in jockstraps and harnesses. What is the casual viewer of fashion supposed to make of such a sight?

First, remember you are at a show like any live performance, the designer ( in this case) is putting across his ideas, artistic expression, and worldview. While you may not see any clothing that speaks to you, it may appeal to others. The show used music and the performance skills of the cast to bring the audience into the world of the designer. Watching and enjoying many performances includes keeping an open mind. Fashion shows often include material that you may find controversial. Diversity and inclusivity are a mandate of Vancouver Fashion Week and make the experience as a viewer much more exciting.

The Casual Viewers Guide To A Fashion Show.

The Avant-Garde

When a runway show diverges more towards the experimental, it is often challenging for the viewer. Much like trying to understand an abstract painting or a complicated piece of atonal music, we may be confronted. What does it mean? What is the point? Is there an equivalent to an art appreciation course for fashion? I have several ideas to lessen the exasperation and make it more enjoyable.

First, don't relate all the garments as to whether you would wear them or not; the creations of a designer may not appeal to your taste but may captivate others. Second, try and train your eye to see the different elements that make an ensemble. Often an aspect of the design may be exaggerated however other pieces of the look may appeal to you. Third, do a little research on the designer, and you may find you relate to the message they are espousing. Finally, attempt to see the avant-garde as art and not necessarily something for daily wear.

AVANT-GARDE FROM PREVIOUS VFW'S

The runway can be a place to show beautiful clothing. It can also be a place that is thought-provoking. The often interchangeable terms conceptual and avant-garde are words used to describe these collections based on ideas. They present attire that questions, raises eyebrows, and expands our perception of clothing. The designers creating such pieces are often not interested in mass production, conventional beauty standards, or traditional markets; instead, they focus on deconstruction, unconventional materials, technology, and the unrestraint of creative expression.

The Casual Viewers Guide To A Fashion Show.

Whether the show is controversial, avant-garde or straight forward, many viewers have basic questions I can address here.

Why aren't the models smiling?

Because they are following the directions of the designer. The designer may want the models to appear confident, strong, tough, aloof, nonchalant, whatever. The expressions of the models, the music, the lighting and visuals all create the mood and tone for the designers collection.

Why are the models walking so fast?

Because moving at a fast pace exudes energy. Often the models walk in time to the music. In an evening, there can be upwards of ten shows; if the models dawdle, it slows the pace of the entire show.
The designer, with the help of a choreographer, or model coach, set the pace of the model's movement. A designer may want the models to perform some other movements; maybe as a dance move, spin, or a specific way of holding poses or their body.

What is all the weird stuff about?

Whether you think it's weird or not it may appeal to others. Moreover you would get bored if everything had a conventional tone. In my opinion the eccentric can be the most exciting and thought provoking.

Why do the models hair, makeup and clothes look so extreme?

The hair and makeup are part of the designers concept of the collection. Furthermore the makeup and hair have to register to the farthest seat or maybe the balcony. The styling of the clothes are also the designers idea, for example maybe a blazer is worn with no top under it, or the clothes are paired with bare feet or clunky shoes. The process of putting the entire look together is called styling. Often designers will work with a stylist who is responsible for putting the entire look together, including shoes and accessories, hair and make-up.

IN CONCLUSION

Attending a fashion show is a great way to spend the evening. A group of friends can get a chance to dress up and enjoy a show. Vancouver Fashion Week is the second largest fashion week in North America. Since its conception in 2001, Vancouver Fashion Week has been dedicated to cultivating the success of both established designers and award-winning emerging designers with its global perspective and highly multicultural approach. take my advice and spend an evening at Vancouver Fashion Week, you will discover a great to experience a variety of fashion. While you are there say hello, be there!

CIAO FOR NOW J.ANDREW