Zardo's World by Elizabeth Baxter

 The collection, titled “Commensality”, is inspired by the act of sharing a meal with others. It takes this base concept and questions the importance of this practice, why it’s in decline and the role of clothing in encouraging connection. Visual elements are inspired by the growing trend of casual fine dining restaurants that emphasize ambiance, creative menus and hospitality over the dress codes and stuffy service that characterize traditional fine dining. They position themselves as the antithesis to upscale dining, creating thoughtfully curated, and genuine experiences. My collection borrows the principles of this model to explore the idea of creating for the purpose of fostering connection, and redefining what makes fashion aspirational. In the same way casual fine dining rejects the antiquated rules of the past, the designs move away from traditional evening wear offering instead “Modern Dinner-wear”. It takes informal styles and dresses them up with impactful details and bold, fabric choices, to reimagine what it means to get dressed up.