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Pictures: Rory Barr for Finland Today
A serene scene of fluffy clouds was projected above the stage, while outside things couldn’t be more different as the skies opened for a stormy start to 10th annual Gloria Fashion Show inside the Kattillahalli at Helsinki’s Suvilahti district on Saturday afternoon.
The models flopped themselves on the steps and took selfies before the biggest show of the fall for the Finnish fashion scene. They drank water and fixed their barrettes while Helsinki’s elite mingled and sipped Moet in the atrium. The models weren’t the only ones peppering instagram with selfies, as most of the ladies on the front row couldn’t resist its siren call.
The show opened with a ballerina dancing in fog, with muscles strong and lean pirouetting her across the stage on behalf of Sensai’s premier fragrance: The Silk.
For the runway portion of the event, there were just under thirty stores and labels showcasing their Fall/Winter 2015 looks. Although, with so many sources, there were many prevailing trends, the first of which was wide leg trousers. Cropped, long, wool, silk and brocade, they were present in pretty well most of the show.
In suiting they were often juxtaposed with nipped-in double-breasted blazers that gave the look a very 90s Calvin Klein feel. In sportswear they were paired with oversized blouses and brogues for a look that challenges the gender binary. However, the blazer of the night went to the black Balmain piece with emphatically padded and pointed shoulders paired with a gold lame skirt.
The mid-90s were looked-to again to establish a colour palette for coats and suiting with muted tones of camel, mauve, grey, green and brown being drawn from often. Fur was also a jumping off point for much of the show. Be it rugged shearling or refined fox, if it once breathed, it was made into a statement coat. On the subject of coats, the neckline of the day went to the jewel neck. However, for the cold and long Finnish winters, I wonder how practical that will be.
As for shoes, brogues were on more than half of the models, and made for a chic juxtaposition between rubber soles and feminine fabrics like silk and jersey.
The pussy bow shirt dress made several appearances with several different labels often paired with oversized coats that were brought-in at the waist by bold leather belts.
With many of the Finnish labels, like Juslin, there was a very tangible Asian influence via rich silks and satins made into belted robes and ubiquitous wide-legged trousers.
The Finale was a rapid-fire blast of Finnish designers that created incredible evening dresses in shades of black in a plethora of materials. However, the standout of the evening was Teemu Muurimäki’s collaboration with Magnum. (Yes, THAT Magnum. The one that gave you the choco stain on your trousers.) Muurimäki’s dresses were pink confections that danced across the runway in beaded bodices and shantung silk. Dresses that dreams are made of.
The show was accessible fashion, something for every age range and price range, the looks were from brands like Marks and Spencer and Zio all the way up to Dries Van Noten and Christian Louboutin.
