Review of GUCFS INBLOOM

A review of this year’s charity fashion show from someone who wears flannels everyday.

The GUCFS has come and gone, with this year’s being bigger and better than ever. If you weren’t there, here’s a snapshot of what you missed – and if you were there, then here’s some memories for you. 

Now, you may ask what gives me the right to critique these lines. Well, I’ve seen both Zoolander 1 and 2, and I’m a fan of the brand YEEZY by Kanye West, so I would say I’m well acquainted with the fashion industry. As you might notice, these critiques may be little more than visual descriptions (and, as the night went on, I did have more beverages) so let’s just see where this takes us:

OJR Fashion:
This line was bright and colourful, using many pastels, reminding one of childhood innocence. It did this in an almost dystopian way, using recycled materials to create a look of something right out of a Melanie Martinez music video.

Orlanda James:
This line was perfect for Glasgow, as it seemingly tried to waterproof the hell out of everything. It was basically turning tents into outdoor wear, complete with a vestibule hoodie. 

Guerro:
Everything was loose and oversized, playing nicely with the idea of form. I went to the bathroom for half of this line so not much else to say. 

Nadia Pinkey:
Took traditional glamour, in both office attire and ball gowns, and flipped it on its head. It played well with the idea of colour.

Greg W. Brears:
This line took traditional occupational outfits like that of fishmongers, electricians, and blacksmiths and turned it into an art piece. I quite liked this one, as it took a familiar aesthetic and turned it into something artistic. 

HANNAHENNIS:
This to me looked like a modernization of the Yuppie look of the 80’s and 90’s – almost like something you would see in Full House. Using plenty of pastels to give it a cool theme.

Megan Nicholas:
This was a memorable line, drawing on Asian influences and accents like kimonos and jade-linked glasses holders. Whilst I usually think of glasses holders as being for librarians, this line made it pop and a real feature. The colours and patterns featured in this line make it a highlight of the night.

AA∆:
Right, the most confusing part of this line is its fucking logo. I can’t even tell if even this is correct, and no one told me what the hell it’s supposed to be, so there we go. That being said, the line itself was very interesting and drew on traditional “nerdy” themes like Minecraft, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and comics. It looked like a fashion line straight out of the comic book store and was a lot of fun to watch. I think the only thing missing was a diamond sword.

Dana Nicola:
This line reminded me of an emo phase. It was dark and edgy, with a great use of textures.

Thomas Con:
This was a fun menswear line that used blue and yellow patterns to create a really cool look. The jackets and blazers were visually interesting, and not too far out of the realm of something one would wear in public.

HLC:
This line gave off groovy hippie vibes, complete with psychedelic browns and tassels. All the fucking tassels.

Kat Evans Menswear:
This line seemingly feminised traditional menswear and office attire by using pinks, baby blues and adding sparkles all over the place. The quality of the designs looked really well developed.

Tom Boy:
Still not sure if this is an athletic wear line or underwear line, so I’m not going to comment further as I will certainly mess this up. 

Emma Wilkinson:
This line was a huge hit with the crowd, as it took a modern artistic twist to traditional Scottish Highland wear. New concepts of the kilt and Argyle jacket – and, of course, tartan everywear. So much tartan.

Joe Teare:
This line reminded me of something one could see at Burningman. It looked like it had desert influences toying with shapes and pockets. Also, was it just me, or did they all have the same blue sweater?

Haley Mosporor:
Right, that name is butchered, but my notes fell apart at this stage. It was a look of white summer wear that one would wear to the Catalina Wine Mixer. The quality looked really professional, unlike this review.

Ryan James Kyle:
This brand seemed like something you would see at NYFW – a new take on streetwear. The highlighter stripes created interesting patterns that worked really well together.

Jeremy Zheng:
This closing line was well worth the wait, as it was the most artistic and visually compelling. The line seemed influenced by an anime high school gone wrong, with uniform colours and high school features, such as an oversized backpack / beauty passion sash that read “Miss, I got what I really wanted”. Everything seemed disturbed, as the first outfit read “RIP” and an outfit had the number to a helpline on it. 

So, this was a mess, but I hope it was at least interesting. Again, I think GUCFS was really well run and the designers put a hell of a lot of work into it – and while this reviewer is not top of the line, this years’ fashion show certainly was.