Feature: Liverpool sets new record in style as catwalk capital

A 48-hour waterfront party continued in Liverpool Sunday as the city celebrated breaking the world record for the most models on a fashion catwalk.

The city set out to smash the existing record of 3,083 models established by Mexico City in 2013. At the end of an outdoor four-hour fashion show in the shadow of Liverpool's World Heritage waterfront, an official from Guinness World Records announced the city's Very Big Catwalk Extravaganza had beat Mexico's record with a new total of 3,651.

The catwalk event was one of a host of two days of activities in the city starting July 4 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the launch of the world's first scheduled sea service between Europe and North America.

That journey left Liverpool on July 4, 1840, when Samuel Cunard's steamship Britannia left Liverpool to sail the Atlantic with 115 passengers aboard.

Fast forward to July 4, 2015 and the flagship of the Cunard fleet, Queen Mary 2, sailed from the very same spot to replicate that inaugural voyage.

This time many of the 2,600 passengers aboard the luxury liner had a grandstand view of the waterfront, just meters away, able to enjoy watching models sashay, strut, saunter or just amble along the 40-meter long catwalk.

Cheered on by an audience running into thousands, the catwalkers came from all walks of life. Professional models, drama and dance students, local organisations to just ordinary citizens. There were no age barriers as toddlers paraded alongside pensioners, each one guaranteed their few moments of fame.

The city's Lord Mayor Tony Conception, in full official regalia led a civic contingent of models, while the city's official Town Crier also took part in the catwalk event, as did the city's two Premiership football clubs, Liverpool and Everton.

The man behind the big catwalk event, fashion icon Wayne Hemingway, was delighted Liverpool has set a new record.

Hemingway told Xinhua: "Liverpool is pretty adept at taking its place on the world stage, so the fact we've smashed this Guinness World Record attempt comes as no surprise."

"What was really amazing was seeing all the many different parts of Liverpool's community represented. We had everyone from a team strutting their stuff in vintage fashion from the 20s, right through to the 90s, to women giving their wedding dress a second outing in a category called 'Here Comes the Bride'. Everyone, from local Brownie packs to 'goths' got behind the attempt, and that's why it was such a huge success," said Hemingway.

Hemingway himself led one group of catwalk models, featuring bald headed men, joking: "I knew losing my hair would come in handy one day.

As the waterfront partying continued, a stunning firework display and a blast of the foghorns on the QM2 signalled the start of that replica journey.

Cunard's first ship, the Britannia at just over 1,100 tonnes could easily fit inside her namesake Britannia Restaurant on the current 150,000 ton Queen Mary 2.

Cunard director Angus Struthers said: "Once again Liverpool has given Cunard the warmest of welcomes. The atmosphere in the city is still amazing and the support for Queen Mary 2 has been fantastic on the exact day that Cunard's first ship set out on her maiden crossing from Liverpool, 175 years ago." Endit