It was another packed house at Belfast’s Ulster Museum last night (Thursday 20 March) as hundreds of stylish ladies and gents gathered to watch this season’s top trends from the High Street at the second night of West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK’s tenth year extravaganza.
Glitter Lips at Belfast FASHIONWEEK @BELFASHIONWEEK @love_belfast pic.twitter.com/fWc4LJts8W
— Justin Kernoghan (@JustinKernoghan) March 20, 2014
Proceedings got under way in the early evening with an intimate pop up store and mini fashion show by Argento. Keen fashionistas hit the Ulster Museum early for a browse at the brand’s latest spring summer collections enabling them to add some gorgeous accessories to their wish list of summer garments.
Later, collections from stores including Marks & Spencer, Mexx, Benetton, Jigsaw and George at Asda joined Next, The OUTLET in Banbridge and Belfast’s CastleCourt stores and took to the runway to wow the crowd with affordable chic fashion.
That's it folks!! @BELFASHIONWEEK #backstage done for another night. More from Stormont tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/PguNHUPhQV
— Belfast Times (@Belfasttimes) March 20, 2014
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First to step up to the catwalk was FASHIONWEEK regular, The OUTLET in Banbridge which presented high-end designs from L.K. Bennett, Jaeger and Armani Exchange, wowing the crowds with a chic display of designer wear at up to an incredible 70% off.
Siobhan McKeown, Marketing Manager at The OUTLET Banbridge, said she was delighted to be back again and part of the event’s tenth year celebrations: “FASHIONWEEK has continued to bring a top quality fashion production over the past 17 seasons and the audience can’t get enough of the various trends walking the catwalk throughout the past nine years. The OUTLET is showcasing looks from a range of stores for spring/summer and it is a great opportunity to demonstrate that you can be on trend without spending a fortune.”
Next to dazzle the crowd was fashion label George at Asda which featured lots of pretty florals and bright colours in their collection, perfect for spring summer. George was swiftly followed by Jigsaw and popular shopping centre CastleCourt – with collections from Designers at Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, GAP, Dune, Burton, Exhibit and many more, CastleCourt impressed with pieces from Designers at Debenhams newbie Jonathan Saunders as well as staples like Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins.
These high street retailers, together with M&S which took to the catwalk after CastleCourt, all provided a display of key summer trends including pleated skirts, summer tweeds, metallics, pretty pastels and block colours all featuring strongly in their collections with lots of classic pieces from M&S too.
It was a fast paced flurry of colour from Benetton and Mexx as delicious fondant colours including bright coral and lemon were shown heavily in Mexx’s collection as well as lots of sheer material, another huge trend this season. Benetton showcased flattering tailored blazers as well as the classic spring summer combo of navy and white.
The collection from Next brought the show to an end, and dazzled the crowd with a selection of florals, neons and sports luxe. Chantelle Craig, PR Manager from Next said she was delighted with the response from the audience: “We’re really pleased with the positive feedback from audience members and at how stunning the collection looked on the catwalk. There are some really gorgeous pieces in this year’s spring/summer collection which are sure to be a hit with stylish fans.”
Director of West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK, Cathy Martin said of the event: “The atmosphere tonight was electric as each outfit paraded down the catwalk! I could see lots of women circling items in their programmes, so I think there will be a lot of fashionistas hitting the high street on their next payday!”
FASHIONWEEK continues tonight, Friday 21 March, with an extra special ‘Charity Challenge’ catwalk show and theatrical make up display from Paddy McGurgan. As the lead make up artist at FASHIONWEEK since 2005 and a former performer himself, Paddy has choreographed a full production entitled ‘Birds of Paradise’ to wow audiences with a musical, dance and visual spectacular including dramatic feathered wings and headpieces.
@BELFASHIONWEEK oscar style selfie!!! #belfastfw @jaynehiggins18 @CathyMartin @BeckaMaguire @LaurinaK pic.twitter.com/XA4L3Y2TSq
— laurina kennedy (@LaurinaK) March 20, 2014
See also DAY ONE of BELFAST FASHIONWEEK
The Charity Challenge brings together fashion bloggers and stylists who are each paired with a charity and their retail stores to create a collection of ten catwalk-worthy outfits each. Cathy said: “I can’t wait to see what classic, quirky and vintage ensembles our exceptionally creative stylists will come up with. All the outfits shown on the catwalk as part of the Charity Challenge will be available to reserve on the night at each charity’s pop up store, so as well as exposing what great finds there are in store at some of these gem shops, we’re hoping that the charities will sell the entire collections to make some much needed funds.”
For further information on West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK log onto www.belfastfashionweek.com or www.facebook.com/belfastfw.
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