ORGANISERS of this Sunday’s ‘St Andrews Charities Campaign Fashion Show’ are keeping their fingers crossed the event will raise the grand total of £20,000 for charity.
The prestigious “Don’t Walk” event, held at the St Andrews Bay Hotel, has already attracted worldwide attention and numerous photographers will be on hand to see if Prince William makes an appearance.
This year’s event will feature a huge range of haute couture from all parts of the globe, and of course the eagerly anticipated sale of an original painting by renowned Fife artist Jack Vettriano, patron of the show.
Every single penny raised by the students will go this year to support the charities Juvenile Diabetes and Scottish International Relief.
Director Charlie Moretti, a third year student, is the man ultimately responsible for choosing the 32 university models who will be braving the catwalk in front of a galaxy of flashbulbs.
Charlie said: “Well over 150 people have been involved in planning the show and it has been an amazing experience for us all.
“It will be a unique show thanks to the effort that the team has put in for many months.
“What’s great is that the people of the town have combined with the student population to support the event in style.”
All 700 tickets for the show were sold out weeks after they went on sale, and with designer clothes, shoes and accessories arriving daily from London, Dublin, Paris, Venice and Rome, the show will be a blaze of colour.
With much of the clothing and other items being shipped from abroad, DHL Edinburgh demonstrated some model behaviour this week by making a designer delivery to the university in time for the annual show.
The world-renowned company proved its passion for fashion by offering its specialist Import Express service, used by the world’s top fashion houses, free of charge – a move which added thousands of pounds to the charity event.
Backed also by Dame Judi Dench, Alan Rickman and Radio 1’s DJ Spoony, the show has attracted contributions from top international designers such as Roland Mouret, Saville Row tailors Norton & Sons, Dublin based designers Ruth Griffin and Heather Finn, plus Italian style gurus Sergio and Massimo Boldrine, and the Instituto di Design Roma.
Director Charlie Moretti is hoping that the prized Vettriano painting might be snapped up by someone who would be willing to donate it to the town of St Andrews. In September 2001, the artist donated a painting to a charity auction which raised 25,000 in London.
Mr Moretti said: “Jack Vettriano has been magnificent since he became involved in the show, and his professionalism and enthusiasm have been tremendous. “I would love it if someone locally was able to purchase his work on the night, and it was put on public display for the people of the town to see in future years.
“That would be a fitting tribute to the enthusiasm of the people of St Andrews and their support for students at the university.”