Sometimes a fashion show can simply involve models stomping nonchalantly down the catwalk to the sound of whatever track is flavour of the moment. And sometimes, it will be a full-on performance with music, specifically selected types of model, and well-devised hair and make-up, pulling everything together to really hammer home the ideas that the clothes are trying to convey. 'The Immoralist' at Vauxhall Fashion Scout yesterday was most certainly the latter.
The Immoralist is a collaboration between Firetrap and 'cult-couturier' Ziad Ghanem, and yesterday's show was an extravaganza of punky, alternative looks, set to the industrial-metal tunes of Rammstein and Marilyn Manson, sprinkled with a generous helping of 90's punk in the form of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.
In addition to the edgy overtone of the show, Ghanem channeled post-war, 50's Americana, with thick-soled brothel creepers, and voluptuously rolled quiffs, as well as plenty of, pop-art imagery on clothes. The combination of 50's kitsch and 90's punk gave an overall impression of corruption and disillusionment, or what Ghanem describes as 'the American Dream turned into a British reality'.
Exaggerated, spiked eyelashes on a selection of models, who were in fact designers, artists, DJs and stylists as opposed to gangly, teenage Russians let the collection extra edge.
The show climaxed with a performance from singer, Viktoria Modesta, who topped off a gorgeous, white, structured prom-dress with vampy burlesque make-up and killer platform Mary-Janes.
