Salon Showcase

What a night! The salon showcase night is always a fun one to see. This season at Edmonton Fashion Week, I saw a love story, a freak show circus, defeated villains, an ariel ballet dancer, and Quanteisha. Bounce Showdown winner Quanteisha actually opened the show and did a wonderful job. Then, to my surprise, two clothing collections were shown. First, Fame 2010 was introduced. This collection featured snow pants and jackets obviously aimed at the snowboarder-type audience. The collection was dominated by solid coloured garments, graphic tees, and male models - which is always a nice change for us fashion-hungry females.

Immediately after a gentleman named Blouty (pronounced Bloo-TAY) showed his collection. He was given this opportunity through iHuman. This is an organization that works with high-risk youth and gets them involved in the arts and assists them with daily life skills development. The collection shown had a very urban hip-hop type theme. Denim, neon and metallic fabrics were among the most memorable pieces, along with some graphic tees and barely-there skirts. The entire collection flowed together and was extremely well presented on the runway. I'd like to point out that this is yet another way that Edmonton Fashion Week supports local talent regardless of what background that talent comes from.

Eveline Charles Academy was first of four salons to strut their hairstyling skills for the audience. They entitled their show 'Love Gone Wrong'. I got the full storyline from one of the models after the show; the story starts with the first set of models who walked to light lovey-dovey music, and were meant to portray the happiness that comes with love and perfection. The most common style in this set was the heavy bangs and an abundance of bobs. The last two models in this first set were then about to leave the runway together (arm-in-arm) when the music quickly changes and the 'best friend' of the female model walks out and separates them because the male model was actually her boyfriend (As I'm writing this I realize how much this sounds like either a soap opera or a high school catfight). Anyways, at this point the music changes, the haircuts become harsher, the eye make-up gets heavier, and the hopeless romantic turns into a superbitch. This set of models walked with more attitude and the hair was styled to match. The final set of models represented the situation where the bad boyfriend tries to get back with the ex-girlfriend who caught him cheating. The entire showcase flowed amazingly, and the hair looked awesome. There was a lot of dark hair colours, a lot of bangs, and a lot of volume - perfectly suited for the Fall/Winter season.

Marvel College then presented their styles and, similar to Eveline Charles, the models had edgy punk styling, but the cuts were a lot softer. There was tons of asymmetrical styles, frizzy curls and crimps, and a few splashes of colour. I also noticed quite a bit of braids and twists in this showcase.

Next - and my personal favourite of the night - was Salon Montage. Their show was presented as a circus show in four different acts. The first act was a ring master and his jungle cats. The girls who represented the wild animals in fact had wild hair with a lot of frizz and brushed out curls. Act 2 started off with a man shaking his booty up and down the runway and had the entire crowd buzzing with laughter and cat calls. The girls who walked the runway in this act were like Barbie doll clowns or marionettes. Tons of volume and curls again in this show and a particular style that used fuzzy pom pom balls that are often used in craft projects pinned on one side of the models head. Her hair was swept all to one side, and was a big beautiful mess of brushed out curls. I am legitimately going to try this look on myself in the very near future. Act 3 used a lot of the same styles but the girls portrayed acrobats and did a little dancer number with hula-hoops before the start of the final act. The final act was like a masquerade ball or burlesque dancers with once again the frizzed-out curls loosely pinned for some effortlessly chic updo’s. I absolutely loved the way this show was put together, and would see it again in a heartbeat.

Blue Gemini then began their presentation and followed suit with a showing of a lot of curls, braids, faux hawks. Two models were partially styled on the stage while the other models put on the show. It was great to see how the styles were put together and experimented with.

Ricci Hair Co. was last to present and was by far the most avant-garde showcase of the night. Their collection of styles was called Villains. To me the intentionally expressionless models, who had their entire faces and necks painted black, looked like sad defeated villains, especially with the slow music and pace of the models. The hair mixed huge volume with sleek elements and avoided symmetry like it was the plague. Another guest sitting near me during the show mentioned that this showcase was by far his favourite of the night.

The night ended with an arial ballet routine performed by Meghan Watson of Firefly Theatre which thoroughly impressed whatever audience that remained.
Tomorrow's show should be just as exciting with the Fantasy Hair and Make-up competitions and a perfect extension of today's showcases. I look forward to it!

Contest Night at EFW

Tonight is the night of the Emerging Designer Contest as well as the Stylist Contest and these contests are the perfect opporunity for young designers to show off their skill and technique.

Sandra Sing Fernandes is the executive and creative director of Edmonton Fashion week and it was her idea to give these emerging designers a chance to show off their skills and gain industry experience.
“If you want to create an industry in a town that there isn’t really an industry you’ve got to start at the beginning which is creating some designers,” Said Fernandes. “Designers were graduating from school and there was no place for them to show their collections.”
The contest began about five years ago and has given winners over $5000 worth of prizes in hopes of moving them closer to their goals of becoming renowned fashion designers.
Every show a winner is given $500 cash, a scholarship to Marvel College, a make-up and hair artist for a photo shoot of their collection for up to 10 models, and an Edmonton fashion week presentation to show a full 10-peice collection at the following show.
Past winners have gone on to create a line of clothing, open up boutiques, or to continue their design education.

One year ago, it was Shahidah who won the emerging designer contest and receved the perks of showing a full 12 piece collection complete with supplied models, make-up and hair stylists in April. This season during EFW she is showing her line "Posta Couture" which she has thoughtfully described as "gangsta-chic".

This photo was taken backstage at Edmonton Fashion Week in April of 2009 when she showed her Spring/Summer collection. (TAKEN from Posta Couture group on Facebook)

Shahidah says that the line is about making women feel great about themselves and what they are wearing.

“We want a woman to put on our clothes and feel like art, like they just stepped off a cover of a magazine - young, fresh, and glamorous - but still very classic," she added.

Tonight people attending EFW will have the opportunity to see talented aspiring designers with often unique visions and concepts, as well as last season's winner Heather Murray who will be showing a full collection.

Another treat tonight will be Michael Kaye's collection which Friday night's audience got a sneak peek at through Sandra Sing Fernandes' pearl and crystal embellished gown. Michael Kaye is a University of Alberta graduate and an inspiration for local designers who dream of showing their own collections internationally. Enjoy the evening!

Round two at Edmonton Fashion Week

The variety in today's shows was immense. In fact, today alone I’ve seen butterfly prints, floral prints, lace, paisley prints, every colour possible, and even Nazila Couture's signature Indian-inspired looks. Once again, the designers showed a lot of creativity and skill tonight and they deserve Edmonton’s praise for their hard work.

Carla Miranda started the show off strong with a small collection of loose-fitting garments in a very warm colour palette. Each piece was accessorized with gold chains and platform gladiator stilettos. The collection was full of lustre and definitely did not disappoint. Also, there were a few pieces with similar low, or cutaway backs that were present in last evening's college showcase.

Lisa-Marie Sciroli's line Hotsy Totsy came on next with a total of 20 girls wearing fabulous cocktail dresses great for any occasion apart from one risky number that showed a little too much butt for my liking. Most of the dresses used a fitted bodice style on top and volume in the skirt. The colour palette was much cooler in this collection as it used some deep purples, reds, and blues. Once again, a lot of shine was incorporated by using silks and satins in the design. Overall, I thought the dresses were very well put together, and there was a dress to suit every figure. I was alone with this opinion though; the crowd around me couldn't stop chatting about their favourite pieces from this line all night.

Andeo Hats and Sabrina Butterfly paired up and presented a very modest runway show with an interesting concept. The girls looked like they were fresh off the boat (so-to-speak) luggage still in hand after a long trip from England to America in the 1930's. The silhouettes were timeless and the colours used like black, grey maroon, and even a pale lime green will never go out of style. All the garments looked soft and appeared to be warm, but only time and our Edmontonian winters will determine their ability to hold in heat for the next 5-6 months. The hats followed the same sort of theme, and also included a few bows and feathers.

(*Here is a blog post I found written by Sabrina about her first runway experience at EFW... pretty neat!)

My Secret by Rebecka Pichoch stormed the runway immediately after and was the polar opposite of Sabrina Butterfly's designs. The best way to describe her collection was a hot mess. There were quite a few backless numbers and a bit of play with patterns and colour. The amount of fray (intentional... I hope) became distracting at points and left me wondering with some pieces were actually designed to have such an abundance of loose threads hanging out in various places. At the same time, this added to the sort-of grunge appeal that the collection had in my opinion.

Nazila Couture then opened their show with a Bollywood dance routine which I think we all can appreciate more thanks to the production of Slumdog Millionaire and So You Think You Can Dance. I have to say the two young girls who walked out onto the runway to join the Bollywood dancer who wearing traditional Indian swag must have felt like little Princess Jasmines. The show continued with some fun BCBG outfits, including an amazing grey metallic maxi dress cinched at the waist with an embellished gold belt. The show also included some tailored suits which accentuated a woman’s natural curves, along with a few traditional Indian gowns which breathed tons of colour into the show.

Wanted was the next collection to walk the runway. This line used solid colours, and gold accents to draw in focus. Every colour from green to tan to orange to pink was used in this collection alone.

Joeffer Caoc from Toronto was the last to show his collection today, and perhaps was the most modest of all the collections shown all evening. His collection included metallic jackets, tailored calf-length dress pants, and draped jersey dresses. Most of the jackets, and skirts fell past the knees left a lot to the imagination. His line was centred around simplicity and managed to be effortlessly chic. The only pieces I probably won’t see being worn around were the ones made out of a plastic-type material and sounded kind-of like a walking around wearing a garbage bag. Beautiful pieces, but they made horrible sounds. Caoc’s line is available at My Filosophy located on Whyte Avenue.

So, keep your eyes out for these trends in upcoming shows:

• Gold: Gold chains, gold fabrics, gold accents, etc... I’ve seen it all already and the question of its prominence in this season’s EFW has yet to be determined.
• Shine: Whether it is a metallic jacket or the use of silks and satins EFW is lusting over lustre.
• Backless: I’m thrilled to see this style popping up 2 nights in a row now, and I have a strong suspicion that its presence will continue in the coming week.
  

Be sure to check out www.edmontonjournal.com/EFW for other articles related to Edmonton Fashion Week and galleries from the week’s events.
As always, let me know if you have been noticing any other repeating trends at EFW this season!

Marvel College Showcase EFW - Opening Night!

First off, I'd like to congratulate all the designers who put so much time and effort into creating these collections. Their hard work and immeasurable creativity was incredibly evident - for the most part. Silhouettes really ranged throughout the show, but there were a few repeated trends like:

• Purple. It seemed to be the colour of the night as about 5 designers included it in their collection's colour palettes. It looked beautiful on the runway and stood out.
• Low/Cut-out Backs. (They're bringing sexy BACK). Perhaps the designers ran out of fabric, or gave up, but I loved it nonetheless. This is not a new trend, but it still looks great. There were about 7 dresses and tops which emphasized the beauty of a woman's backside.
• Paisley. The pattern that never dies, came back again. I saw it in at least 2 collections, and it actually looked good. Personally, I'm not a huge fan, but the pieces looked cute and even feminine.
• Silks and Satins. Every fashion magazine has noted that shine is "in", and I think these designers got the message. These fabrics had a huge presence on the runway, and made some big impressions on the crowd.

Some other trends that were repeated over the night were big bows, and the colour gold.

I'd like to point out a few designers which I really enjoyed, and would definitely enjoy seeing again. Frank Yen Kan Lan for instance had an amazing collection. The colours he used like deep reds, and oranges were perfect for the Fall/Winter season and his whole concept was tied together by an equestrian theme as the girls rocked the runway carrying whips. The collection was extremely wearable, and beautifully detailed.

Another impressive collection was Gabriela Cruz's collection GABI. She used a black, white, and royal blue colour palette and added an edge to her designs through zippers, fray, and PVC - a vinyl-type fabric. One dress in particular is impossible to forget; it was a beautiful white tiered dress cinched at the waist by a thick black belt and a shiny zipper at the back of the dress completed the look.

And who could forget Sid Neigum's collection. It was the final collection of the night and it also happened to be the edgiest. It was evident that Neigum had a vision and concept for this collection and carried it out very well. Although the collection isn't totally a ready-to-wear one, it was aimed to have a gothic appeal. There was an abundance of astrologic signs, and asymmetric patterns that almost resembled optical illusions. He stuck with the basics colours of black and white but the clothing was anything but basic. For example, a one-piece checkered jumpsuit which was not designed for the timid; it was the epitome of peacocking, and it was brilliant.

For pictures from Edmonton Fashion Week's opening night check www.edmontonjournal.com/EFW They will be posting photos and galleries all week!

What did you think of Opening Night? Any favourite pieces?

Let me know!