Intro to The Clothes Show Live

The Clothes Show Live is an event on all fashion conscious guys' and gals' calendars. This year the doors were opened for the seventh time to an enthusiastic public.

I arrived on the first day (it runs for six days) not knowing what to expect. I arrived around 10:30 in the morning and I strongly suspected that there were bargains to be had when I saw people loaded up with at least half a dozen carrier bags. Whatever your style is, it's probably covered at the show.

On first arrival it all seems a bit chaotic and overwhelming. There are so many things to do that the best thing to do is grab a programme and make your plan of attack. Standing outside the halls I could hear music and people cheering and clapping. I couldn't wait to get in there in case I missed something. I needn't have worried, shows are repeated at regular intervals throughout the day.

There's tons of things to do, and see, and buy. I even found that sitting and drinking a coffee can be quite entertaining. Boys and girls strolled by, some dressed to the nines (there are supposed to be talent scouts mingling in the crowds), others dressed for comfort. A favourite look of the moment in this town seems to be stonewashed jeans (straight legs, no turn-up) and a leather trench coat tightly belted over a ribbed sweater worn with clunky ankle boots or shoes.

I thought that being at the show would be like shopping in a huge mall, but it's better than that. For one thing, everyone seemed to be having more fun -- shoppers and exhibitors alike. You could talk to strangers, and even ask their opinion without them thinking you were strange. This show allows you the confidence to visit a store where you might otherwise feel intimidated on the high street.

This year about 350 exhibitors appeared ranging from '17 Cosmetics' (a brand of cosmetics for teenagers) to 'Yves Saint Laurent' (Parisian couturier). Some of the collections are only available at the show and items are priced lower than regular high street tags. I overheard a girl saying that she'd seen a sweater that she'd recently bought, marked down to half price at the show.

Finding a space to try on your newly acquired goodies was a bit of a problem. Some stands had no changing rooms and the one I did see was just a bit of curtain pinned across the corner (I'm sure it was held with a thumb-tack). Because of the lack of changing rooms, there was chaos in the crowded bathrooms with half naked women standing on tip-toe trying to get a full length picture of themselves in a 12" by 12" mirror.

Later on I'll tell you more about who was there and what caught my eye. See you later...