Issue 1247 - The Courier

Th eCourier
Tuesday 6 March 2012
stylingfashion.21
Fashion Editor: Victoria Mole
Online Fashion Editor: Rosanna Sopp
Valentine’s
Ball
Love, laughter
and live fashion
Rosanna Sopp and Lauren Cordell bring you the highlights from the fashionfabulous
annual black tie affair at the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Ground
The Valentine’s Ball combines the best
of two worlds: a high fashion experience
to rival London Fashion Week, and a
chance to raise money for an extremely
worthwhile charity. Fundraising for the
Robbie Anderson Cancer Trust, the ball
was a glamorous, elegant and luxurious
event that wasn’t to be missed. The
guests themselves were almost as fashionable
as the models, with every guy
decked in a tux and every girl wearing
her prettiest dress - even the organisers
from Stage One Events, who had
worked tirelessly for months to create
the event, looked like they belonged on
the catwalk. Overall, just being in that
opulently decorated room was a fashion
journalist’s dream.
The atmosphere changed palpably
when the models began to grace the
runway to some of this year’s biggest
songs, their routines obviously carefully
choreographed. With clothes donated
from shops including Topshop and
Miss Selfridge, it was obvious they were
going to be extremely fashionable and
current, and the avid audience was not
disappointed. Sports luxe, vibrant jeans,
metallics and pastel colours draped each
of the models’ bodies - bodies, in fact, of
every size and shape, proving that you
can model whatever your size and look
great doing so. The clothes could tickle
anyone’s fashion taste buds; there were
glamorous evening dresses, the perfect
outfit for a first date, jeans and a t-shirt,
and everything in between.
Their hair was coiffed in perfectlystyled
bows (think Lady Gaga circa
2009; it’s taken some time, but it’s finally
being absorbed into the high street like
fashion osmosis). The make-up included
bold, silver eyes; something I was particularly
pleased about, having sported
the same look that day (although I dare
say they carried it off better). The male
models were equally fashionable, with
looks ranging from hipster to dapper.
The men looked particularly delighted
to be parading down the catwalk, but
that could have been to do with the wolf
whistles emanating from every corner
of the room. Fur seemed to be a popular
choice for the guys with an impressive
variety - from hats, to bags, to stoles -
so it would seem women’s fascination
with fur is rubbing off in a big way. This
year the event was on February 25 and
tickets were priced at £35 for students;
this included a three-course meal,
champagne reception, a photobooth and
live music. If you haven’t been so far, it
is well worth attending in future as part
of the student experience.
Model
Interview
Rosie Leatherland, Second Year,
English Language (top-middle in the
pink dress)
How did you get involved in
modelling for this event?
I heard about the event around campus last
year when I was a fresher and, with the Teenage
Cancer Trust being so close to my heart,
and having never done anything like it before,
I thought why not give it a go. We attended a
day of auditions and then were invited back
in the afternoon for rehearsals. With the event
being so successful last year they planned it for
the second time and it once again blew people
away!
How did you find the experience?
It’s hard to describe the adrenaline I felt on
that catwalk- a combination of keeping myself
upright, avoiding falling over, showing the
best of the clothes, the hair, the make up, and
remembering what I’m doing all at the same
time! It’s such an incredible rush and everyone
was going wild every time we were on the
catwalk (especially the guys’ underwear walk
which I think was probably the winner)!
What do you think of the concept?
It’s a brilliant concept simply because it’s such
a fun, glamorous and exciting way of raising
thousands of pounds for people our age who
are battling cancer and need every bit of help
to just keep going. Making it into a ball enabled
the fashion show to be a small part of a huge
event which was thoroughly enjoyed by 500
guests. Getting a group of students together
from different year groups and courses who are
all up for having a laugh on the catwalk, and
all for an amazing charity - win win!