Escapism for the cash conscious

After meeting Alice Holland—the director of women’s fashion for ECFS 2009—one feels assured that this year’s installation will be a spectacle, a celebration of all things pretty, and a fabulous distraction from the winter blues.

The models will be sporting spring/summer lines from Nicole Farhi, Bora Aksu, Betty Jackson and Mary Mary London. These collections all capture a sense of romance and fantasy, taking inspirations from the English countryside and the French Riviera. There will also be exquisitely tailored pieces from Daks by Giles Deacon, headpieces by Edinburgh milliner Yvette Jelfts and exciting showcases from new graduate designers.

Did you hand-pick the designers to compliment the "revolution" theme?

I’ve worked on fashion shows before and there’s never a specific theme to the show – there’s a theme to a designer’s collection, there are inspirations and stories, but it is a novelty to work within a theme. There’s a narrative to it suddenly.

But we are not able to dictate what we get – it’s a charity event and we’re asking favours to borrow the clothes, so we don’t want to reject fashion designers who are outside of a certain specification. So the theme really affects the layout of the show more than anything.

How so?

The narrative involves the losing and gaining of control. More traditional designers, such as Daks, will bookend the show, with underwear and graduate designs in the middle.

Where are the fashion graduates from?

We used artistspringboard.com to find the right graduate designers, and we’re also using clothes from Godiva. These collections are less wearable and more conceptual – a showcase of what they as up-and-coming designers are capable of.

What can we expect from the overall aesthetic of the show?

We’re showcasing predominantly spring/summer collections so you can expect light fabrics and bright colours – nothing dowdy. Our hair and make-up team are fantastic this year; each model has an individual look.

And will we see hints towards new trends?

Something like this has a totally different purpose to what they serve in the fashion industry – ECFS is more about the spectacle than a concentration on fashion. It's more inspirational – nobody’s going to be taking notes. It’s similar to Fashion Rocks – a celebration of fashion. With such successful designers on board, we want the audience to pick up on the names of the charities instead of new labels, and these designers will have their names attached to very good causes.

So why should people come this year?

It’s a night of escapism – four hours of not thinking about the fact that you live on £60 a week. In a recession, people are more conscious of spending money wisely. They might not be able to splurge on clothes, but £15, for a really good night? It’s like a shopping fix when you can’t afford the real thing. This is the kind of glamour that we can all afford.