There are plenty of fashion shows in Austin (and dare I say a majority?) that are thrown together last minute, lacking good styling, or just simply sad. But Fashion Freakout is not your typical Austin fashion show. Fashion Freakout does what other fashion shows don’t by capturing the youthful, fun, and stylish fashion scene happening in Austin with its playful models, creative styling of vintage clothing, and time and dedication put in by everyone behind the scenes. Last night Fashion Freakout 5 lived up to the Fashion Freakout legacy by going above and beyond other shows I have seen in Austin. Once again the Freakout proves that our town is full of creative people with an eye for fashion who can put on an entertaining show that draws a large lively crowd.
This year Charm School Vintage, the newest store of the bunch, had a very memorable collection with its 1930s inspired show which gave nods to burlesque and old Hollywood glam. Every Charm School Vintage outfit had a cinematic quality and brought its own character to the show which helped to tell the Charm School story. The veterans of the group, Prototype Vintage Design, gave us a more modern take on vintage with a collection fit for a young urban partygoer. The mixture of floral prints and pretty party dresses with spiked punk accessories and pops of neon color combined to make a stylish contradiction. Buffalo Exchange’s first half of the show simply used color (red and black) as a way to tie the collection together. The second half of the Buffalo Exchange show was more visually interesting than the first. Buffalo Exchange’s second half of the show told a unique story that felt like a modern take on a Greek tragedy by combining white flowy goddess-like dresses and feathers with punk spikes (I spy some Dog and Pony assistance) and goth inspired makeup by Avant Salon and Spa who handled the hair and makeup for the whole show.
While Fashion Freakout 5 will most likely be the best fashion show of the year, it wasn’t completely without faults. The main problem I had with the show was the lack of communication with the audience about the lineup. After the first round of the fashion show was over and the band started to play, a lot of people who were there only for the fashion left. If you missed the second round of the show, you missed some of the best outfits! But despite any issues, I had a blast at Fashion Freakout and I only wish there could be more fashion shows like it. Each store brought its own unique vibe to Fashion Freakout 5 and all three collections combined to give one amazing fashion show. How about we make Fashion Freakout a bi-annual thing? I want more freakouts!
