Alberta Fashion Week in Review
by Toran Kumari, Jotyi Soroya, Bianca Dayrit
September 26, 2010
Opening night kicked off with Ruby Ellen Johnson’s earth- inspired collection for Ruby Ellen Designs. Set to new age music with an interpretive dance down the runway, the designs grabbed the audience’s attention. Inspired by nature and designed for every body type, her designs possessed a fairy tale quality. Crabapple Clothing Company brought classic comfort and easy-to- wear pieces. Figure-friendly sweaters, scarves and boots were a recurring theme — perfect to combat the crisp breeze of autumn air. Lily’s Fashion Creations closed the evening by debuting trendy designs — very appealing to the mostly 20-something crowd. All three designers brought the glitz and glamour of high fashion to Calgary with fantastic models. Engaging and relatable, women and men of varying shapes and sizes strutted the catwalk, resulting in a great success for opening night.
— T.K.
September 27, 2010
Ivy Rose Custom Design, Pout Clothing and NRT Fashions made up Alberta Fashion Week’s Day 2. The evening contained an eclectic mix of pieces, from casual wear to business wear. Rachel Haggerty from Ivy Rose Custom Design proclaims she has a “quirky sense of style” — a statement corroborated by her neon green corset — and draws her inspiration from close family and friends. Pout Clothing designer Kirsten Summersgill designed her collection with the goal of creating “a lot of pattern.” Her designs were quite vibrant and feminine, ranging from free flowing silky dresses to tight minis — perfect for a summer garden party or a business gala. Summersgill says she makes her clothing “for women who love dressing up.”
NRT Fashions was the “it” collection of the night. “Escrime,” French for “fencing” was the name of the collection. With a Lady Gaga feel, each model wore masks used in the sport, outlining NRT Fashion’s designer Nicole Rita Tomney’s creativity. She kept the audience engaged and impressed and despite a model tripping on the runway, she handled herself with poise (an endearing quality) and Monday evening ended very successfully at Alberta Fashion Week.
— J.S.
Wednesday, September 29 2010
by Bianca Dayrit
September 29 was the third day of Alberta Fashion Week for this season. It featured collections of a clothing designer, jewelry designer, and a local boutique.
Dianna Martin created Di Designs in 2008, mentioning that her main interest was creating costumes. Her passion for design began in 2004. Dianna’s 2010 Alberta Fashion Week showcase included many fantasy-inspired pieces mixing sheer, chiffon, and leather which created a more modern look to the antique inspiration. The hair and make-up had a very Barbie meets Disney feel to it, displaying a childish yet appropriate addition to the theme. After the show, Dianna mentioned figuring out the silhouettes for each piece was the most difficult part of creating this collection. Nonetheless, she was able to pull off a very modern twist by throwing in asymmetry in the majority of the outfits. http://www.didesigns.ca
A jewellery collection by Hillberg & Berk was up next. This company was founded by Rachel Mielke in 2004 and has been going strong since. Their jewellery has been worn by known red carpet celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Drew Barrymore. For this show, three models wore simple black dresses, and out they came with a new piece of accessory each time. The necklaces, earrings, and bracelets had a very strong look. They had oversized gems, multiple layered chains, and medallion pendants – all put together to display powerful femininity.
http://www.hillbergandberk.com/
Last, but of course not least, was Mealan Boutique. It wasn’t just one designer’s collection, but various pieces of clothing chosen by the boutique owner. Mealan Boutique – located on 1518 4th Street SW – has been opened for a year and a half, retailing many brands that scream feminine, funky, and chic. There wasn’t much of a theme to this collection as it was various designer pieces. But out of all the showcases of the night, it was the most exciting. The stylist added a nice touch of exaggerated accessories such as chunky bangles and bright-coloured scarves making each outfit stand out and catch attention all around.
http://www.mealan.com/
Thursday, September 30 2010
by Toran Kumari
The phrase “save the best for last” certainly rang true Thursday evening. With a packed house, Eau Claire Market hosted three of the best designers Alberta has to offer. Designer Brook Fung of Peeko Apparel characterizes herself as an eco friendly “green” fashionista. All her pieces are made from recycled material. The runway show showcased a collection of feminine yet edgy designs with patterned leggings as a re-occurring theme. Perfect for an eclectic potluck or indie film fest. The second collection of the evening was debuted by sibling pair Andy Court and Shelly Kanyo of Kanyo and Court. Describing travel as one of their main inspirations, the runway held a certain “Arabian” theme. Models who donned headscarves – reminiscent of the desert – wearing yellows and oranges and jeweled accessories, created the milieu of Saudi Arabia. As well, It can be noted that Kanyo and Court were the only designers of the evening to have both sexes walking the runway. Kanyo focused her designs on women and Court focused on men. Last but not least and a favorite of the evening, with a punk rock feel yet still feminine, Madame Wolf graced the runway. Describing herself as “one confident female that isn’t afraid to be on the provocative side while keeping a sexy, nonchalant attitude”, Madame Wolf is certainly one up and coming designer! Stating that her inspiration comes from her surroundings, family and friends, her clothing instantly grabbed the attention of the crowd. Punk rock boots, laces, leathers, flirty, edgy and dramatic designs were all pleasing to the eye and perfect for that CD release party or rock concert. It was an awesome wrap up to an exceptional week of fashion in Alberta. It has been amazing and wonderful to see our city transform from an image of cowboy hats to high-end couture.
