By Marina Carnwath

Following a year-long break, due to the reconstruction of the union, Catwalk returned to RAG week last weekend. Being held in 601, the event didn’t really have the same sense of glamorous hype surrounding it in the run up, but rather a sense of fun. The models walking down the cross-shaped runway actually looked like they were enjoying themselves, despite one of them assuring me she’d rarely been so nervous in her life. The crowd surrounding the runway, it seemed, had each come to support one model or another, shouting out their names and waving banners each time they made their entrance. The whole vibe therefore wasn’t one of cold efficiency, but of merriment, which worked just fine.

The range of clothes in the show covered most of the local shops of St Andrews, with kilts, summer dresses, and lingerie each on display. While impressive in their scope, with around 200 outfits exhibited, the clothes were largely cast in the shade by the models which makes sense, considering that most attendees appeared to have come to see their friends. One reveller commented merrily that he felt “the show had a fresh, new edge like a zingy cheesecake”, which points to the year-long hiatus doing the event a favour in preventing it from becoming stale.

The end of the show saw the models return to the catwalk for a final walk, joined by an over-zealous audience member that had clearly been inspired to try his hand, before seguing into the after party. Fashion show after parties often feel underpopulated, perhaps because the space previously occupied by the stage is freed up, increasing the venue size. Or maybe people just leave. Either way, the Catwalk after party was not the exception to this rule, but the overall unpretentious atmosphere allowed for it to matter less. Once the change over period from show to party had ended, the night became just another happy evening in 601, which, while making some of the more glamorously attired of the guests seem a little overdressed, is no bad thing.

Overall, Catwalk was a really enjoyable night. The committee had clearly put an enormous amount of effort into ensuring the atmosphere and the running of the event were both as good as they could be. In the season of fancy fashion shows, the best thing a RAG week event can do is emphasise the differences that make them distinct and fun, and Catwalk managed this with no problems at all.