I have often thought that for every event that St Andrews puts together it is simply elaborate ways to have fraternity parties. Sure in St Andrews we switch out the sneakers for heels, the jungle juice is swapped for a complimentary drink at arrival. But, St Andrews students seem to attend events for something other than charity or fashion. The goal behind these events seems to be the same as a house party: to see people, to get a couple photos, and to have a drink (or several).

However, this seems strange for a town that is obsessed with fashion shows. There are 5 different fashion houses FS, Don’t Walk, VS, Catwalk, and Ubuntu; and honestly probably more that I cannot name. However these events seem to gain popularity based less on the fashion wear they sport and more on the general atmosphere. Perhaps that is why Don’t Walk pushes to have their locations each year as undisclosed. There is an air of excitement and mystery that comes with that title (it's probably Bowhouse). And FS, another large fashion committee, throws events unassociated with fashion like the music ‘festival’, Starfields. These events gain more traction amongst students when they are seen as more than fashion shows, and perhaps it has reached a point where fashion is not necessarily at the center of it. Yes, there are models walking in designer clothing- but the crowd seems to respond loudest when their friends are on stage or if the models show off fantastical movements.

I will say, however, I am not the most reliable narrator. I spend most of the time at these events in the smoking area and at the bar, so perhaps if I cared more about fashion my perspective would be entirely different. This being said, I did have the chance to attend VS. This was the first time where there was not a bar (rip), but I was pleasantly surprised with how much of the show I saw. It felt like fashion was at the forefront of the event. There were seats for all guests, it was generally intimate and I found myself speaking to newer faces throughout the event and afterparty. The most telling part of the VS show and its relation to fashion is the fact that I actually found myself looking up the clothes the models were wearing following the show. By the designers Isabella Minho and George James; I was especially impressed and eager to see if I could fit their clothes into my budget. It was at this show where I was genuinely seeing the clothes and considering if I should add them to my wardrobe. This is an absolute first for me and I think that VS stands alone in that regard.

This being said, however, VS is a more niche fashion house compared to the likes of DONT WALK and FS. Before the event I was asking around to see which of my fellow peers were to be in attendance and I had multiple responses along the lines of ‘I didn’t know that was today’ or ‘What is that?’. So this brings me back to my original hypothesis that St Andrews enjoys the fashion shows for the same reason they enjoy balls. The atmosphere of seeing friends, old or new, and being able to share a drink with them is the real appeal. So this leaves more niche fashion committees having to work that much harder to get people to attend. It is not because the show itself is necessarily worse, it may even be better, but people are apprehensive to attend any event where their friends will not be in attendance.

This problem is also exacerbated by the fact that these events are becoming even more common. People are less inclined to go to a fashion show if they attended another one the week prior, especially since tickets to these events are between 50 and 120 pounds. The only way to get people to attend is to either make the event large enough to create this ‘party’ atmosphere or it needs to be so different and exclusive that people feel as though their money is well spent. If St Andrews truly appreciated fashion at its core, there would be no line at the bar and no afterparty tickets.

VS seems to be a committee which refuses to adhere to these rules and is eager to remain geared toward fashion. And until St Andrews students genuinely become interested in fashion alone it will be remarkably difficult to expand to be as big as the fashion houses of FS and DONT WALK.