Not sure if my review of Vancouver Fashion Week was too nice or too mean, I sought out a review from a friend and local who attended the show with me. A view from a female with a different perspective; I agree with everything she says.
So have a read and see what you really missed in Vancouver…
“At VFW with Mr. Fab and he and I are the only people in the room without a Louis Vuitton accessory, that is how we will be identified in the crowd… Stop, what is a dog doing on the runway!?
‘Welcome to Vancouver Fashion Week’
Fashion, what can I say about you old friend. I once dreamed of being immersed in you, but you rejected me all those years ago at a model screening with Mr. Fab himself, neither of our numbers were called and none of the agents wanted to see us for call backs. However, all these years later, he’s modeling anyways and although it’s an avenue I never further pursued, I remained hooked on The Fashion Channel for years.
The opener of the show took me a while to psychologically adjust to. The appearance of some of the models and their walks were just distracting and bizarre; Then there was one that reminded me of a resident I once worked with from the DTES, so I was more interested in watching to make sure she made it safely to the end of the runway than I was in what she was wearing.
Now the Designers, what can I say, two Indian designers and two big collections later, I’m bored and over it… Don’t get me wrong, some of the designs were elegant and detailed as names such as Pure Elegance and Well Groomed might suggest, but let’s be honest here, there were some uncomfortable looking backdoor bobbles and I don’t have an Indian wedding to attend, so I just kept anxiously waiting for something to appear on the runway that I could visualize myself wearing.
Then I spotted a corset I thought was cute paired with some of the bright colour combinations from the Well Groomed. They were well put together and modernized, but some of the details still threw off the whole element of wearability for me personally as they still looked too much like a costume.
Angel Eye UK started their show with a little more hope; A few cute summer dresses I’d add to my collection.
That quickly faded and look-a-like teenwear found in the local mall appeared; Some skinny jeans and mediocre tops.
Harrican par Mariouche was the most fashion forward and cohesive collection by far;
It borrowed from the past with recycled fur and what looked like recycled Value Village tops. Needless to say, pairing a recycled Russian fur hat and mitts with an evening gown was a win in my books.
I prance around in my finest wearing my Russian fur hat at home and if it’s actually acceptable in public too, my world just got better.
Bano eeMee from Calgary presented some well-tailored pea-coats I could see myself in;
And Jenny Grettve from Sweden, who I decided to stay for as she offered futuristic design, presented a collection that mostly looked like a Tron fail.
Aside from the fashion, The entire night was a Gong Show between the designers. 10 minutes was consistently stretched to 30+ minutes all with the same Vancouver cast of characters hitting the spotlight for extended socializing each time. What began as interesting people watching quickly grew boring, watching the same three-ring circus act during each intermission.
I checked out some of the other designers collections and show photos from the rest of the week and there have been some great pieces; I really feel like I missed out on the best of it.
Mr. Fab and I may very well have landed on the worst night, so don’t let that dissuade you from considering the show next year!”
Ms. Fab-fashion critic
