Style City

From Dallas to Dubai practically every city has a fashion week to shout out about and now the 'beige city' of Bath has joined them.

 

Leading chain stores and independent boutiques joined forces with the council and Future Bath Plus to create the four-day extravaganza, a first for the city. While catwalk shows formed the backbone of ‘Bath in Fashion’ the event also incorporated talks, walks, film screenings and exhibitions.

 

 

Celebrating Bath’s diverse retail scene the elegant Octagon Room in Milsom Place played host to two womenswear catwalk shows. Key high street players such as Reiss, Hobbs and Fenn Wright Manson showcased their summer collections alongside independents; Image, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Liz Cox. Trends of note included nautical themes, clean, simple lines, bold floral prints and strong stripes.

 

Bath in Fashion - The Octagon Fashion Show

 

Those wanting a more decadent style experience opted for ‘Fashion & Fizz’ – a night of fashion, supper and champagne set against the stunning backdrop of the Roman Baths. Shops from the Milsom Place complex such as Sassy & Boo and Traffic People styled up their wares and made fashion history as the world heritage site became a catwalk for the very first time.

 

Fashion & Fizz - Image by Lloyd Ellington

 

David Lawrence, Divisional Director, Tourism, Leisure and Culture said: “This festival underwrites Bath’s heritage as a centre of fashion.  Today we have a successful fashion department at Bath Spa University, an important collection of contemporary and historical fashion at the Fashion Museum as well as a thriving retail scene.”

 

Fashion & Fizz - Hobbs imagesbymarko.com

 

Elsewhere, Southgate, Bath’s newest retail development, got consumers in the mood with a series of upbeat kids and streetwear shows. Hosted by style expert Patrick Swan the public were treated to collection tasters from the likes of Gap, Quiksilver, Cult and Animal.

 

Southgate Fashion Show - Superdry

 

Rounding off the proceedings ‘Not so Fast’ exhibited 21 Textile Designers & Artists making for a diverse and highly original show. From Anne Selby’s sculptural scarves using the ancient Japanese Arashi Shibori technique to the digital wool knit portraits by Brenda Miller. ‘Not so Fast’ got the art crowd and the style savvy buzzing and closed the first instalment of ‘Bath in Fashion’ on a high.

 

Pleated shibori scarf by Anne Selby

 

Textile art by Brenda Miller

 

JI