Ottawa Fashion Week F/W 2011: Fave looks

Alright, so I have some pics now to show my fave looks from this season's Ottawa Fashion Week.  As hard as it was to get excited about Fall and Winter fashions, since we are all currently looking forward to Spring and Summer apparel, I think I have a pretty sizable look book of my favourite designs.  All photos, unless otherwise captioned, are by Greg Kolz.

 ElizBourk

An up-and comer from Montreal, Elise Bourque had not even participated in a "real fashion show" until this weekend.  With just a blog and a dream, Miss Bourque proves that talent and creativity can drive a fashion line more than anything else can.  Judging on the feedback I heard from her show, she is going to have a hard time filling orders in the coming year!  I don't even know her and I'm beaming with pride :)

Loved the use of fur (obvi), the cozy yet stylish feel to every piece, and the perfectly styled looks the models wore on the runway.

Comfy and sexy?  Sign me up.

Fur, feathers and 'coon tails...triple threat!

Not to mention she used such naturally gorgeous models.  They were all fresh-faced, youthful and looked comfortable in their ensembles.  Well done!

The Escape Movement 

This was my favourite look from The Escape Movement.  HOWEVER, that being said, I think overall I was distracted by the accessories.  In fact, I may have been misled into thinking the line was interesting because the hats and the scarves and the models' hair and/or faces were great.  Scrolling through the pics from this line, realistically as much as it is wearable, I needed something fresh and new to get excited.  I am not good at "basics shopping"...buying plain tank tops and tshirts makes me yawn, even if I absolutely need them.  The tees with "ESCAPE" written on them kind of remind me of Dorry from Nemo, heehee!

Photo:  Ottawa Sun



Khala Morgan

Hi, I'm Amber and I like Vintage.  Ipso Facto, I enjoyed the Mad Men retro feel of Khala Morgan's line.  Further explanation seems unecessary.  Take note of the capelet (cute!) and the houndstooth print skirt below.  The models were perfect for the look too, and the hair and makeup were exactly what the line needed to complete the look.

Adib Simon

Designer Luciano Adib was born in Cordoba, Argentina.  Seeing as I am half Argentinian (specifically the lower half), I was particularly interested in what he had to show.  His collection was definitely different, with some of the looks being totally wearable and some not so much.  It is always hard to know when a non-cohesive collection is meant to be sort of all over the place, when the designer has emalgamated three collections into one (which I had to do for the fundraiser last month), or when it's simply that the designer hasn't quite figured out what their "voice" is.  Either way, there was a mix of boho-chic (as seen below), haute couture, clubwear and something that looked like it must be an homage to his home country. 

Micalla

Look up "luxurious" in the dictionary and one of these pieces should be under there.  The collection concluded the first night and easily stole the show.  Gorgeous models with cascading clusters of jewels and pearls, and perfectly red, sparkling lips.  WANT WANT WANT!

Panache

by Jana Hanzel and Emilia Torabi

I chose close-ups for this collection because I wanted to really show what parts of the looks I liked.  For the first two, I just was so overjoyed by the hats!  I like the military cut white jacket on the left as well.

The colour and the detail of the jacket on the left is adorable.  The grey tailored suit on the right is something I would wear to work.  The entire collection is geared to the working woman, so there were certainly some pieces I would have use for on the Hill.  The last look is head to toe great.  Loved the pink, the ruffle, and the big fur hat!

Rachel Sin

I liked this gold sparkling blazer.  I enjoy the entire look actually, with just the simple black bra and black pants, allowing the jacket to stand out.

Serendipity

I really wished that designer Kelsey McIntyre had only shown bridal because it's clearly her forte.  This dress was the showstopper, saved until the very end, and on its own without seeing the rest of the looks, is very promising.  Personally, I would have liked to have seen an entire bridal collection.

Adrian Wu

With much anticipation surrounding his newest collection, young designer Adrian Wu certainly got everyone's attention with his pieces he sent down the runway.  Showing skill and vision, his collection was not exactly Ready to Wear, but it did earn respect from fellow designers.  I enjoy a cohesive, well thought-out collection, regardless if I am going to be able to wear the pieces or not.  I know some people who came hoping for off-the-runway wearable clothes were potentially disappointed, but I think over the course of 3 days it was decidedly fresh and slapped everyone awake after mostly neutrals and mainstream looks.



Photos:  Ming Wu



Photo:  Ming Wu



Designer Adrian Wu

A few last points:

1. I was going to do a Hits and Misses post, but I looked through all the photos, and I honestly feel like the majority of the collections were, whether I LIKED them or not, well-made, and seemed to have a target market of consumers that WOULD like the designs.  So, I'm going to leave it at that.  I also feel it's bad karma to tear apart other designer's work.  It's really hard and really brave to put yourself out there like they did this weekend, so kudos to each of them!
2. I have to find out what the deal is with those damn shoes that so many of the designers used in their collections.  Are they donated?  If I were to show next season, do I have to use them?  I watched a few models almost go down AGAIN this season, and I have to ask...what is the need?  After the last model for Adib Simon almost broke both her ankles and was literally saved by the designer who had been holding her hand,  I finally asked my model friend during intermission if those shoes are actually as hard as they seem to be to walk in.  She went through a line-by-line explanation of the mechanics involved with a successful navigation of the runway using those shoes...and the simple answer is yes-they're really not easy to walk in.  All I know is, I'm avoiding them at all costs and will do everything short of spray the runway down with an adhesive to keep my girls from going down.
3. A few of the designers from out of town were no-shows at the event.  I find that difficult to comprehend.  I can understand for smaller events that are mid-week having a business partner or a representative appear in your place.  However, for something like a Fashion Week, no matter where the location is, I am absolutely shocked and semi turned off about a designer that can't make it to the show.  It's a weekend, the Argentinian designer made it happen, and how can you possibly trust something that big to someone else to figure out?  It's nuts.  I am way too much of a control freak to be ok with that.

OK, I think that's huge enough.

xo Amber

Obligatory post-OFW entry

First, a look at some pics of Days 1 and 2:

Day 1:  My friend Sarah and I.  My hand looks a little claw-like...sort of scared of it right now.

Vintage fur stole and blouse, American Apparel skirt, Betsey Johnson belt.

Day 2:  Rocking a 'coon tail earring by Pica Jewellery.  Velvet blazer by Guess, vintage bustier, leather skirt by H&M, Ruby X tights and my go-to Steve Madden black peep toe pumps.  Clutch and bangle by Aldo and watch by Michael Kors.  Hair by spazz case.

Day 3:  Shoe love. Mine (left) by Aldo.  Sarah's by Betsey Johnson.

I joked around on Facebook about how I cannot believe people are capable of surviving an entire fashion week (since Ottawa's is a three day affair, and not seven.  Yet.  I assume that is the end goal here, oui?).  On second thought, I wonder if maybe seven days would allow for some more freedom and less pressure to narrow it down to three outfits.  My issue is not that I don't have clothing.  My issue is that I have too much, and trying to choose an outfit is kind of like choosing your favourite child...because even if one kid is way easier to get along with, you love your moody, difficult, awkward kid just as much for being so different.  Leaving my (disaster of a) room, knowing I had left behind so many great ensembles was torturous!  If I had four more days, I could have left with a smile on my face because we would be reunited again on Wednesday!  Or Thursday!  Also, I believe that people who attend full fashion weeks probably don't drink that much.  I mean, a few glasses of vino is one thing...however I was so in the mood to just DO SOMETHING Saturday night (literally all dressed up-nowhere to go) with my friends, and the shows ended at such an awkward time, that I actually got dropped off downtown by myself to find something to do.  Literally.  By myself.  The night ended up being super fun, when I met up with some friends shortly after, but when you don't eat a proper dinner until 11pm, the damage is done. 

Sunday I spent the day trying to bounce back-thinking I had-nope, wrong, back to feeling like death-Booster Juice, yes!  Back on track!  Oh god, I don't think I can make it....and on and on.  I almost had a fit in my underwear trying to find something to wear-oh, sorry, trying to choose what to wear-I felt like my 3am poutine gorgefest had ruined all possible outfits that weren't mumus.  Finally, I went with a go-to white bf blazer, JBrand jeans (PS. all jeans are too tight the day after.  These are already tight.), a plain white T and accessorized with Pica red feather earrings, a vintage clutch and red peep toe stilettos.  It was sort of my version of a Balmain S/S RTW look I love.   Sorry, I would have posted a picture of said look, but honestly I could barely form coherent sentences.  I made it to the shows, I waited in the endless lineups, I smiled, I wished I had brought my eye cream, I didn't spill anything on the white, I clapped, I trotted around in my heels, and I didn't eat my purse despite immense and imminent hunger that struck like clockwork at 8pm.  Seriously, read it:  I am NOT one of those people who can function well when hungry.  I like to eat, often!  Yes, I had lunch but it was late, so no, I am NOT hungry at 5pm before the shows, but I am at around 7:30 like a normal human being.  I would love a sandwich at said time, please and thank you.  That sandwich could be $20 and I would buy it.  It would really help me with my ability to communicate, ie. vocabulary.  Thank you and you're welcome OFW for a heads up on more ways to squeeze money out of people.

xo Amber

PS.  I'm going to do another post with my fave looks from the weekend, but am waiting on my photog friend to provide the shots.  From my 5th row aisle vantage point, I was able to appreciate hair, makeup and possibly the clavicle of the models, depending on their height.

Prelude to Ottawa Fashion Week

Hola!
This past weekend was another blur of work and fun.  Friday and Saturday I had serving shifts at my part-time gig.  Then I essentially spent every last dime I made busting my @$$ on Saturday and Sunday nights having too much fun.  Yes, TOO MUCH.  Sigh.  The good news is that I was able to catch up with old friends, squeezed in a pedicure and pulled off a fairly last-minute mini fashion show at the Faces Magazine Awards Gala which happened Sunday night at Parliament Ultraclub.  I was nominated for Ottawa's Fav Fashion Designer (yay!), but didn't end up winning (boo!), however I can honestly say I had a really fun time, met all sorts of new people, made some great contacts and had some really positive feedback on my designs.  All things considered, I think I came out a winner.  That's what I'm going with at least. 

Here's a photo of me and my models at the event.  If more photos pop up from the runway show I will post them later.  I always wish I could watch the show myself, but I'm backstage the entire time and can only kind of tell what it might look like to the audience, so I hope I can see some pics!

I always say that the best models are the ones that are just FUN and can make the experience positive.  I really lucked out for this show, because even though it took me until about 6pm on the night of the show, I ended up with 6 really great girls who were just happy to be there on top of being absolutely stunning.  Three I have already worked with before and was super happy to have them model for me again.  The other three I tracked down with help from friends and they were fantastic too!

So, this coming weekend is Ottawa Fashion Week and I booked off the entire weekend from the restaurant just to be able to go.  The day the schedule was posted I checked out all the designers participating this season.  Some of them are familiar faces-Jana Hanzel, Rachel Sin, Yola Couture, Birds of North America and Micalla.  I'm particularly excited to see Adrian Wu again, who had an impressive Spring/Summer 2011 collection that he showed back in November.  He is himself an extremely stylish person who takes risks and owns a few pairs of fabulous heels that I would kill for!  He will be showing as the event closer on Sunday night, so I will have to wait until the bitter end to see what he has planned.

A few new-to-me designers that are showing that have caught my eye and interest are Veronica MacIsaac for her modern use of tartan prints, as well as Serendipity by Kelsey McIntyre for her cutesy 50s retro style apparel.  She also does some bridal, so I have no idea what she will end up showing.  A few others worth mentioning are Florian Jeyet and Illyria Design, although harder to know for sure from their websites what their designs will look like.  They both show on the Sunday night before Adrian Wu's collection. 

As for what I'll be wearing, that remains to be seen.  I actually started to make a skirt from a really great tartan print material that I bought back in January (which is probably why MacIsaac's line caught my eye), but I have no idea if it will be in wearable format by the time the weekend rolls around.  I could wear something of my own design, but that's always a tough choice...is that not somewhat egocentric at a fashion week where I'm not even showing?  I wore a dress of mine to Sunday's event, but that wasn't a fashion show...it was an awards show in which I was nominated FOR my designs so it made more sense than anything.  Anyway, I'm sure I'll figure it out.  No matter what, I am getting pretty excited for the weekend and can't wait to see some of my friends there-bloggers, models, designers and spectators!  Bring on the fun (but not too much-stay classy San Diego)!

xo Amber

I am Woman

Happy 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day to all my ladies!!

Some things you can do today to celebrate:

1. Buy yourself a gift that makes you feel amazing, or do something nice for a special girl in your life.
2. Blast "I'm Just A Girl" by No Doubt, because it's still so damn good.  (PS have you seen Gwen Stefani in the new L'Oreal Superior Preference ad?  I saw it last night, looked at my bf and announced "I need to go blonder".  She is amazing and gorgeous.  She is and always will be my favourite person I will never know).
3. Sign up to volunteer for a women's advocacy group or donate to one!  Today I made a donation to the Because I'm A Girl Fund, which helps girls and women around the world, and specifically to honour single mothers like mine.
4. Make your Facebook or Twitter status something to honour women-it can be as simple as "I love being a girl!"
5. Get informed:  Read about about the status of women in your country and around the world.  It's always smart to know where you stand.
6. Hug your grandmother.  She is a bridge between the past and present and has helped, in her way, shape the modern world and the women who live in it.

It is fitting that today I write about where I am in my business plan, since I have been working really hard with Marie on the part (and potentially the most vital section of all) where we define WHO our target consumer is.  Without going into too much detail, because it remains a work in progress and we still need to register our name and such (and WE HAVE A NAME NOW PEOPLE YESSS!), we have gotten really close to adequately and accurately identifying our customer.  It is important to Marie and I that we get this part of the plan completely right.  As two women, each unique in personality, background, physique and style, it is imperative that we create something that make sense for us and the other unique women we know.  Personally, it essential to me as the designer and creative director of this project that I produce items that I would wear myself and that my girlfriends would wear as well.  It is becoming apparent that it is really tough to design and produce the first collection, taking into account wearability, uniqueness and quality-three characteristics that represent our goals in this endeavour.  The initial collection requires that I focus on a small number of colours and styles, with the goal to expand and reinvent the brand as time goes on and more collections are created.  This means there is a lot of pressure to select the "right" styles among all my designs, ensuring these choices work both together and yet separately still reflecting what our brand stands for.  With that said, it is so much fun as well.  I feel like *knock on wood* things are really coming together for this project and as much as I am anxious to get it out there, taking our time has proven to be a far better and more successful route.

I think it's also important to mention that as female entrepreneurs, Marie and I strive to work with and represent women in our lives.  I am interested in knowing what other female customers look for when they go shopping for themselves, and we have begun to work on a survey to examine the multiple factors involved when women purchase items for their wardrobes.  Look out for this survey in a Bias Cut post near you!

Here are some fun quotes to celebrate the day of the Girl:

Despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, I have not yet been able to answer the great question that has never been answered:

What does a woman want?

-Sigmund Freud

I have an idea that the phrase "weaker sex" was coined by some woman to disarm some man she was preparing to overwhelm.

-Ogden Nash

The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.

-Charles Malik

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.

-Faith Whittlesey

I conclude this post with a shout out to all my beautiful girls and women in my life!  Love you!

xo Amber

What's in a name?

I'm at the stage in my fashion line business pursuit where I need to find a name for my label, and honestly my brain is burnt toast ("Doctor Penfield, I can smell burnt toast!").  It has gotten to a point where, after many hours spent googling, translating, thesauresing (NOT a real word), that I have come full circle and I might just have to use my own name after all, even though I really don't want to.  I know I mentioned in my very first post how difficult it is for me to come up with names/titles and this one is a doozie. 

This weekend I took Kate (young event organiser from Fashion for Funds) out shopping Saturday as a little "thank you/congrats" thing.  I still had my prize from being the fashion critic for Hot 89.9, which was $750 to Joshua Perets, which if you had never been inside, is really more suited for an, ahem, younger crowd.  I couldn't have taken a better shopping partner to spend that money, because if I had taken a friend anywhere around my own age, we would have had a REALLY difficult time finding anything.  I found some super plain tank tops and sweat pants for Sunday afternoons (and, I don't know, tobogganing? sick with a cold? gorged myself on cake?) and Kate was able to go wild in there which was really fun to watch!  Let's just say that if I wore a full-blown JP outfit anywhere in public I would feel just a little like Amy Poehler in Mean Girls:



"Hey, hey, hey. How are my best girlfriends?"

 Anyway, the shopping trip was really fun and I asked Kate if she had any ideas for a name for my label and she responded with a few good options.  I always find it's better to outsource these things, like with this blog title that was named with assistance from my friend Jenn.  As for the individual post titles, it's all me because there's not so much pressure and so I can come up with them easily enough and rarely change them or regret the ones I have used. 

I have been wondering how other fashion labels decided on their names.  Many opt to use the designer's own, which is all well and good but there are numerous fashion houses that clearly have not.  Some are great, like Rodarte and some are, um, not.  Nothing against them, but, for example, I can only associate the word "juicy" with well-endowed women...which may or may not be what they are referring to, I have no idea, but "couture" does not convince me that I should be buying from their line. 

Slowly but surely it's nearing the point where I seriously have to commit to this name, because everything else is moving along.  As a brief update, I have found someone who can do my pattern making here in Ottawa, so we shall see how that goes.  As well, I have another massive working weekend with Marie planned to go ahead this month, which we have conveniently coincided with Ottawa Fashion Week, set to commence on the 18th.  This way we can talk fashion, write fashion, then go watch some fashion and, hopefully, look somewhat fashion hahaha.  Couldn't be more excited!

xo Amber