Anusha Couttigane is excited for Oxford Fashion Week

Oxford Fashion’s Night Out; LiveFriday at the Ashmolean; four retail events; three exhibitions and a live photo shoot. Yes, OFW has given us its fair share of stylish events. And now it’s back with a fashionable vengeance.

Last week saw the press launch of Oxford Fashion Week 2014.

It was the ultimate disclosure of all the spectacular plans for this year’s fashion extravaganza. For fear of missing out, I played office truant for the evening and dashed up from London to attend the press party.

With the cream of Oxford’s fashion scene gathered in the atrium of the decadent Malmaison hotel, founders Carl Anglim and Victoria Watson announced a series of seriously fashionable events that will mark the peak of the city’s social calendar.

A sensational Lingerie Show, a dazzling Concept Show and a breath-taking Couture Show will represent some of the highlights of this year. But I know from experience that there will be so much more. This highly anticipated occasion will showcase the best of British fashion, coupled with the forward-thinking discourse for which Oxford is so well known. I’m. So. Excited.

Now in its fifth year, the event is bigger than ever. In the past it has attracted nearly four hundred designers to more than 40 runway shows, with additional photography exhibitions, film screenings, networking nights and a LiveFriday takeover of the Ashmolean Museum.

With names such as Matthew Williamson (the man behind the Butterfly brand at Debenhams) and late fashion genius Alexander McQueen, OFW is the week that Britain’s fashion elite ventures out of its London hidey-hole and descends upon Oxford’s trendiest venues. The best part is, Oxford Fashion Week isn’t just for the fashion elite. It is, and always has been, remarkably Oxford-centric: a celebration of the city and everything its talented, fashionable inhabitants have to offer. Oxford has produced some incredible designers and photographers and it’s OFW that has put them on the fashion map, with many gaining national recognition for their work.

As one of the first fashion shows to put disabled models on the runway and plus-sized models in its mainstream lingerie shows, it’s also one of the most diverse fashion events in the country. OFW presents an incredibly refreshing perspective on fashion – a ground-breaking vision which serves real people. In fact, this weekend, producers will once again be holding open castings as they search for aspiring models and, most importantly, THE FACE of OFW2014.

So, from 2pm to 5pm over the next two days the Oxford Castle will be stormed by hundreds of model hopefuls heading to Malmaison for the castings. This is probably the most competitive process in the city outside of trying to get into Oxford University itself. The 2012 campaign saw more than one million photo clicks in a 10 day period. Expect the Facebook group to reach breaking point.

As for me, I’ll be returning to immerse myself in the city of my Alma Mater, an alumna of both Oxford University and Oxford Fashion Week. And I really couldn’t say which is due more credit for where I am now. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is where I’ll be when it all kicks off on Monday March 3: Decked in my trendiest togs for the opening night party of Oxford’s most glamorous affair.

Oxford Fashion Week 2014 will run from March 3 to 9. Open model castings will be held from 2pm tomorrow at Malmaison Hotel in the Oxford Castle. Visit oxfordfashionweek.com for details.