Post-weekend reflections

Friday night was my launch party for my online store, shopamberwatkins.ca.  The party was held at JunXion Public House in the market, which was the perfect venue to host the event.  The main level, with its exposed brick walls and little tables where people can sit, offered the ideal space for guests to gather and converse.  Music played while a projector showed photos from past collections and events that have led to this point in my adventure.  A huge thank you needs to be given to the JunXion team who opened their doors and provided the runway (built by their own bare hands, no less), took care of so many of the details and put up with my silly last-minute questions and requests.  Anyone looking for somewhere to host an event, I strongly recommend that you give them a call.  To see some photos from the event, taken by Faces Magazine you can check them out here.

It had been a while since I had an event where I wasn't sharing the responsibility of ensuring good attendance.  I had forgotten how nerve wracking it can be and heart wrenching when you start thinking half the people won't show up.  They of course always do, invariably last minute, or "fashionably late" which has led to me vowing to no longer do that to people, however unfashionable that may make me.  It's too devastating when experiencing it on the other end.  I was very happy with the turnout in the end, as it was a great mix of friends, supporters and industry members.  I had wanted exactly that for the private party, and wanted to thank those that have been there from the beginning as well as people who have just recently come into my life as new collaborations and clientele.

We put on a little show downstairs once the place had filled up enough.  I had 5 fantastic models who were so happy to be there, had great attitudes and made my swimwear look fantastic!  I just love working with professional models who can bring the designs to life, and lend personality to the show.  I owe a big thank you to Modmop Hairdressing and Noah who not only did the makeup, but planned the looks and styled the girls to perfection.  Again, thank you to everyone behind the scenes who work so hard and provide life lines to people such as myself.  We couldn't do it without you!

I had planned to give a thank-you speech directly following the show, but it somehow just didn't work once the runway was pulled up and people had hit the dance floor.  I decided personally thanking everyone was a better touch, and there were some individuals that hadn't made it that night that I had planned to mention and changing the wording last minute was fairly impossible, or at least with everything else happening it felt as such.  I'd like to take the opportunity now to put my Thank-You speech in writing, taking the liberty to expand on the much smaller one I had planned originally in person:

Thank you to those who are here tonight to support my latest step on this crazy path I've taken.  June marks one year since I registered Amber Watkins SWIM down at City Hall, and therefore makes it the perfect month to officially launch my online store, shopamberwatkins.ca.  It's been one crazy year, and I have learned so much about the business, about myself and about the people around me.

Two months ago when I sat down with Scott, we were meeting to discuss something entirely different.  I was also juggling a few big life decisions all at once, while still trying to get my swimwear collection out into people's hands.  I had already begun the necessary steps to developing my online store.  What I needed was a focus and motivation to have it complete.  He suggested a launch party, hosted at JunXion, orginally set for sometime in May.  By early May, after hours and hours of work, I had completed the goal, and soft-launched the site to see how things went.  A month later, here we are!  I need to say a special thank you to Scott, Andrew, Duong and the JunXion team for making tonight possible, from the invitations to the the complimentary champagne upstairs, right down to the custom built runway I'm standing on now.  Hammer promised me that it could support a rhinocerous if that was necessary.  I felt confident my 90 lb models would be safe.

As I look around the room, I see the faces of some of my closest friends.  Many of you have been to literally every show and event I have done.  I feel so fortunate to have you in my life, urging me forward, yelling words of encouragement.  In this marathon, you've been the ones handing me water and snack packs from the sidelines and I can honestly say I would have never been able to go on without you.  I would especially like to thank someone who spent years dutifully driving me to Fabricland, picking me up from fittings, accompanying me to Toronto, once even voluntarily pinning white lace fabric to ugly red curtains because I hated them so much.  I could go on with my examples, but I wouldn't want to pump his tires TOO much.  So I will just leave it as this:  Thank you, Tyler.  You were my biggest fan, my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on (many many many times) and my voice of reason even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.  I appreciate everything and carry it with me in my future endeavours.

There are other friends I have made who have provided me with opportunities and helped me in my moments of desperation and absolute ignorance.  Angie from AMTI and her family have been there since day one and she is still there for me now.  Christopher Massardo from PRESS The Fashion Magazine provides endless advice and inspiration with his amazing work.  Greg Kolz and Paul Trepanier have snapped photos for countless runway shows and events and without them I wouldn't have half the photos I do for my website and facebook pages.  I also see new friends and acquaintances who I have been lucky to have met in the recent past, to collaborate creatively and to learn from one another, from photographers to stylists, makeup artists and public relations representatives.  I also cannot forget to thank the team at Shopify who built the online store I am launching today, who met with me and took hours out of their schedule to design the site when I was at a point of sheer frustration.  It's not something they are mandated to do, and I thank them for their patience and dedication to my cause. 

I also see clients who have bought my swimsuits and tell their friends about Amber Watkins SWIM.  Thank you for purchasing and promoting my first collection. 

Finally, a big thank you to my friend Noah who I was fortunate to meet only 3 months ago, and who I instantly knew would be a person I would work with for hopefully many years to come.  He and I and his friend Maciej who photographed the images for the online store worked so well together for the shoot and I need to mention that Logan from MIM models was such a trooper for that extra long day! 

In conclusion, I can say that I know from experience how important it is to tell the people in your life how much they mean to you and how much you value their part in your projects.  We cannot do everything alone, and we can only be more successful when we allow others in and welcome feedback and collaboration.  I owe what success I have achieved so far to every person in this room and many others who are not here tonight but have supported me in some personal way.

I hope you have enjoyed your night and that you know how much it means to me to have you here.



The rest of the weekend was spent in some alternative state of reality, as I dealt with the sudden realization that I didn't have some hyper-scheduled agenda to stick to, and after over two months of working 7 days a week and having something planned for every day, I honestly didn't know what to do with myself.  I kept willing myself to relax and go with the flow, and Saturday I managed to ward off my initial feelings of loneliness.  However, Sunday evening was a different story.  I think everything I have done and all the changes I have had to adjust to in the last couple of months just came at me with a giant whoosh of white noise and panic.  I can't describe the feelings I was having, because they were tangled up like the top drawer of my jewellery chest. I think it's a sign I need to take some time to work on my heart now...it's taken a back seat lately and also a few hits in the last few weeks.  This weekend it felt like the cinch that had already been around it was suddenly tightened by several notches.  I'm going home this weekend to see my fam jam and then it's off to Toronto to work and catch up with some long lost friends and to celebrate my birthday.  I think it's just what I need.

xo Amber

Summer 2011: Epilogue

I'm not going to comment on how long it's been since my last post.  It's extremely evident.  Moving forward, what an amazing summer that was!  Yes it went by quickly and yes I spent a lot of time indoors, hunched over my desk/my friend's dining room table working on what needed to be done, but wow...I seriously have a lot to show for it!

In the perfect culmination of everything I have been working toward, I had organized an amazing creative collaboration:  Grunge & Glamour at the Gladstone, held in Toronto at the Gladstone Hotel.  The event started with hip hop DJ Marko, followed by TO rock band The One-Look Donnybrook and ended with my swimwear runway show (accompanied by The OLD).  Visual artist Nick Sweetman covered the walls of the venue in his artwork.  It was so satisfying to see it finally come together...often we make plans or think of great ideas and they don't always materialize.  This is one of those ideas that not only came to be, but turned out even better than the original seed of thought.  The venue was perfect for the feel we were going for and the Gladstone staff were unbelievably amazing to work with the entire time.  We sold out the tickets and received so much positive feedback.  In the process, I was able to work with old friends, make new ones, and close a chapter on a part of my fashion design.  Also, the collection that I showed for the G & G event will be my last one that I made on my old sewing machine and likely will not be shown again.  The morning before the show, I drove to Newmarket to pick up my fresh new collection, which will be debuted at Ottawa Fashion Week at the end of this month!  So begins the next chapter...

Here's a shot of me with my models after the show.  I was lucky again to work with an amazing team.  The girls were so fun and had such great attitudes...the Green Room was a total party.  Hair was styled by the talented Kyle Hannaford from Head Candy Salon in Toronto.

Photo credit:  Santiago Ortega

For more photos from the runway show, click here or here.

Cheers to a new season!

xo Amber

Grunge and Glamour at the Gladstone

Consider this your official invite to the latest and greatest event I am very happy to be a part of!

A bit of history:

A few months ago I was speaking with my friend who lives in Toronto on Facebook chat (we were both slacking at our desk jobs, what can I say?).  We were both talking about our side projects-my fashion design, his rock band called The One-Look Donnybrook.  I mentioned I wanted to do another show in Toronto this summer, and he suggested I have The O.L.D. play for the show.  Over the course of several weeks, we had put together a pretty solid vision and had also included his friend Nick Sweetman, a Toronto visual artist, to the lineup.  Finally, as of a few weeks ago, Nick brought in his friend Marko Orlic to DJ as well.  And so the event was complete...an incredible collaboration that will showcase each of our talents with absolutely no room for boredom and only the opportunity for one amazing time!

So...come!  I can't wait to see it all come together :)

xo Amber

Expecting the unexpected

Taking a mini-break for some brain babble in the form of a blog post:

Starting this fashion line is the closest I have ever been to having a child, or I suppose what I imagine it to be like:  In the first stages, it's just so exciting!  I announce the news to everyone who will listen and want to shout it from the rooftops how happy I am and how great I feel about it!  Then, the full weight of the situation starts to sink in.  My entire life needs to change to fit this into my plans: My apartment isn't big enough, I don't have enough time, I have to prioritize everything, not least my finances.  Meanwhile, back hurts, I'm constantly wearing "comfy pants", and using my situation as an excuse to eat junk food.  I can't sleep and I'm always anxious about how it will all turn out.  What should be the name be?  Will I be good at this?  When will I see my friends?  So many open-ended questions with no absolute answers.   But....all those scary points aside, it doesn't dispel how freaking excited I am about it all, and somewhere deep down I know it will all turn out OK.  At least this is where I am at in this entire process.  Sitting here, surrounded in patterns, with a path to the fridge and one out the front door.  An empty bag of chocolate covered raisins somewhere in there too.  (I wanted to buy Crispers, but the crumbs would have been everywhere and somehow I doubt my manufacturer wants to receive these patterns with salt and vinegar finger smudges everywhere.  Gross.)

Embarrassed to admit this was not just my night snack while tracing patterns, but also (looking down in shame) my breakfast the next day.  Judge away. 

My new pet!

Do not be fooled, this is actually a sofa.

***Allow me to take a pregnant pause to mention in passing that I am not, in this stage of my life, interested in having a child, nor do I think I actually know what it would be like.  So much respect to the mamas reading this, because I know it's probably 100 times harder than what I'm trying to do right now.

I leave for Toronto Tuesday morning and can't wait to get out of Ottawa for a couple of days and once and for all hand over this work to the professional who will then somehow turn a pile of paper cutouts and fabric into a complete sample swimwear line.  INcredible.

Until then, I still have a lot to do if I want this kid to be healthy.

xo Amber

Summer 2011: Thus Far

I really struggled with the title of this blog post.  I feel like since it's been OVER A MONTH since my last post, that most fitting title would acknowledge how much I need to catch up on...as in the entire summer.

In a nutshell, these last few weeks have been a total blur.  Between my actual moneymaking job, plus the new money sucking business (I finally went to City Hall and registered it too, so exciting!), patternmaking, seeing friends, celebrating a grillion birthdays (a LOT of people apparently get busy in October, because July is just one long birthday jam), and my recent trip to Toronto, I legitimately can't even remember all the finer details of it all.

My Toronto visit was so amazing because of how much I was able to accomplish in only about 24 hrs.  First, I picked up this ginormous roll of manila paper that I need for my patterns.  This thing weighs over 100 lbs and is apparently going to last me years of patternmaking for my swimwear.  Which is both fantastic AND frustrating seeing as I think I have mentioned before the lack of space in this apartment.  I genuinely welcome any suggestions on how to somehow integrate it into my living space without it just being a huge totem pole of paper in the middle of the living room.  Then, I drove to Newmarket to meet my most favourite person ie. the man who knows everything about manufacturing fashion designs.  This meeting was particularly important because I was showing him what I have so far with my patterns and if he told me that I was doing it all wrong, then these last few months would have been a total waste of time and resources.  Fortunately, he gave me only positive feedback and reinforcement for my plans.  By the end of this month, I will have sent him everything he needs to create my sample collection, and from there it will be under a month before I receive it in its glorious completion!  INSANITY!  From that meeting, I travelled back downtown to Queen St. West's garment district to go fabric shopping.  Not even the disgusting stop-and-go traffic could slow down my great mood.  I managed to find 4 fabrics I loved and bought them in under 2.5 hours.  I've never been so decisive!  Finally, Tuesday evening I met with my girlfriend and PR/event marketing extraordinaire Marie Chevrier and a group of talented musicians/artists and venue scouted for a show we are planning for the end of August.  I don't want to say too much yet about the event before all the details are ironed out, but it will be amazing.  We found some great spaces and met new friends and I celebrated my fabulously productive day!

So, that's the latest and the greatest.  Sorry I've been such an epic failure with the posting.  I can honestly say that the only thing suffering from my loss of day job is this blog.  I just don't sit in front of a computer anymore, which is indescribably FANTASTIC, but on the other hand I really enjoy blogging and just haven't been keeping up with it.  I hereby make a promise to myself that I will try harder now :)

I will cap this post off with some pics from the one night I was able to go to Bluesfest!

Metric Played!

Photo credit:  Greg Kolz
Emily Haines is such a hottie.

Yes, beer and live music!
Blouse-Pink Violet, shorts-Aritzia, sandals-Urban Outfitters, watch-Michael Kors, bag-thrifted, necklace-gifted and made by my talented friend.

Oh, look who I bumped into!

During My Morning Jacket...loved!

Well, that's it for now friends!  Hope your summer has been as great as mine so far!  

xo Amber

Richard Robinson Grande Premiere 2011

Hello!

Last Saturday was the Richard Robinson annual end of the year fashion show.  The students were able to show off their hard work and I was able to sit in the audience and just enjoy the show instead of being backstage!

Here are some photos from the event of my favourite pieces and collections:

Stephanie Ross

I absolutely died (pun intended) over this collection.  I loved the entire concept with blood-splattered brides.  It reminded me of a combination of Kill Bill, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie) and of one of my ultimate fave flicks, American Psycho.  Particularly the part where he brings his bloody sheets into the dry cleaner's, hahaha.

Photo:  Richard Tardif

Photo:  Tina Picard

Photo:  Tina Picard

Photo:  Tina Picard

Photo:  Tina Picard

And a few other designs that I enjoyed:
(all photos by Tina Picard)

Lidia Beausoleil

Rebecca Knox

Yesha Raval

Francine Lavack

France Renee Miron

Lily Cunha

Although I was not a fan of all the clothing shown on Saturday, I acknowledge the work that goes into the design and production as well as the techniques used to create them.  I know I have a lot to learn and after seeing the Richard Robinson show, I realise I do need to look into a few courses in the future to improve my skills and know-how.

Tomorrow is my final fitting for my pattern-making, then we need to grade the size 4 patterns up and down to create different sizes and from there make the patterns in a more durable material so that the manufacturer can use them for production.  Baby steps, but I'm making progress!

Stay tuned :)

xo Amber

Last Resort (Fave 2011 looks)

Before I get started, this month's issue of Ottawa's Faces Magazine features a Women's Summer Styles segment written by yours truly!  Go to page 9 to check it out, or better yet pick up a copy!

This past week is a total blur.  I vaguely remember everything I squeezed in, including pattern-making with my girlfriend who is kind enough to take me on as her pupil, a fitting with the patterns we have made so far (it went SUPER well, I am happy to report), plus I have been working quite a bit at my serving gig.  I met with my financial advisor as well, and we made a plan for the next few months.  So, things are moving forward!  I need to take a trip to TO soon to shop for fabric and once that is done, all that is left is to send the fabric and the patterns to the manufacturer and wait patiently for the sample collection they produce!

I have been loving all the free time I have during the day to work on my collection, sketching on patios with a delicious beverage and biking around the city going to various appointments.  AND I don't even need my minimum two coffees a day to get through it.  In fact, I had done a "cleanse" with my two girlfriends where we had to completely cut caffeine (along with several other delicious items) out of our diets for three weeks.  It is for this reason that I found myself completely incapable of sleep after consuming a latte at 6pm Thursday evening.  The next day I had a full day of pattern-making to do as well...so at "about 4:30am I gave up on the possibility of any slumber, got up and started my day.  I felt like Carrie in the episode "They Shoot Single People, Don't They?"  when she decides that in order to not look like she's been up all night, she needed to just stay up all night....and we all know how that turned out:

Anyway, at least I didn't have a photo shoot the next day.  I powered through, and thanks to being up so early  I had a SERIOUSLY uncharacteristically productive morning, cutting out a pattern, doing a hot yoga class, doing a blog post (not my best, but give me a break), etc.  All before I had to be downtown at 10am.  Now I know how hugely successful women do it all...they don't sleep.  Which is why I will settle for moderately successful and not be a troll.

On to the real theme of my post:  my favourite Resort 2011 looks!  (all photos from style.com)

Lela Rose

Romantic fabrics and defined waists caught my eye in this collection.

I love the pattern and the shape of the shoulders on this dress.

I would feel like a sugarplum fairy in this dress!

Rachel Roy

Simple, flattering lines and colour blocking makes this collection both wearable and versatile.

Loving orange this season

Feminine, elegant and easy to mix and match.

Carlos Miele

On one hand, the obvious 70s inspiration isn't exactly innovative, but on the other hand I really would wear these looks.  Plus, the latter portion of the collection without the same vibe aren't nearly as strong.

I can so see myself wearing this...then spilling drinks on it and tripping on the excessive fabric.  Still love it though!

Donna Karan

I had to include this dress from the DK collection because it reminds me so much of the red dress from Zara I had posted about a few months ago for my Holiday 2010 post.  I love this so much!

Burberry Prorsum

I had a difficult time choosing only 2 pictures of this collection, it was all so good.  The twists on the classic (and impeccably tailored) trench were breathtaking.  Also, please note the shoes...gah!

Hey Chelsy Davey-this is how you wear turquoise.

Denim on denim-my Canadian legacy.

Diane von Furstenberg

Oh DVF, I love you so.  I really enjoyed this youthful, upbeat collection beaucoup!

Rarely do I love a dropped waist, but wow is this ever fabulous!  Head to toe WANT!

You could almost wear this to the office.  ALMOST.  I would maybe use one more button.

Michael Kors

 Part Bond girl, part gilded Greek goddess, part 90s scuba (but without the big hair) and all done using MK's signature figure-flattering lines.

Love the gold straps!

Um, hi...please be mine.  I feel like I would slip this on and literally walk into Miami Vice.

Interesting tan lines, but perfect when you need to go from surfing to cave repelling.

 Marc Jacobs

YES, I love this look so much!!  I'd wear this everywhere.  MJ, you've done it again!

Thus concludes my post.  Sorry it was kind of long, but I had a lot to say today!  

So, the question is:  Which look do you want to pack into your over-packed closet?

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

Fashion for Funds: Huge success!

I am happy to report that the Fashion for Funds event on Sunday was an unbelievable success.  Kate Reeve, the 12-yr-old girl who started it all, received a well-deserved standing ovation from the large crowd who came out on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of a long weekend.  The space was standing room only by 1pm, 20 minutes before the fashion show was set to start.  The event ended up raising over $8000 to benefit the children's hospices-Rogers House and Canuck Place.  This was over $3000 more than the goal amount Kate had set out for herself to raise.

The teamwork between hair, makeup, designers and models was unbelievable.  Everyone worked together to make the event move as seamlessly as possible, and despite the many quick changes, in general the reports I heard from my friends who came out to watch said it looked great from their vantage point.  For those of us backstage, it was a hot and sticky cloud of hairspray and mayhem, but it worked!  Everyone was in a great mood, which is always key and the hair and makeup crew showed how well they work under pressure.  Max Keeping was a fantastic emcee, occupying the crowd while we ran around backstage getting our collections in order.  DJ Ilon also volunteered his time and did a great job with the music.  Everyone involved worked so hard without complaint, showing what we can accomplish with solid teamwork and great direction.

Here are a few photos of some of my favourite looks on the runway:

Jana Hanzel



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz



Rachel Sin



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz



Undone Clothing 



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz



Shweta Wahi



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz



And myself

(I get three, mmkay?)

Nautical Swimwear



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz



Le Midi (French Riviera)



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz



La Belle Epoque



Photo credit:  Greg Kolz


I tried my best to amalgamate my three collections into a somewhat cohesive line for the show, but discovered it was pretty difficult.  I decided to go with a 70s feel, because that sort of worked with all three.  I asked Ilon to use disco-inspired beats for the music and had a whole makeup and hair concept involving modern day Farrah Fawcett-esque 'dos and natural, bronzed, girl-next-door faces.  Unfortunately, when you are sharing models with 4 other designers, each with their own concept, and when you are dead last in the lineup it just doesn't work out how you want it to...so a few of the girls came out with not-so-70s hair AT all.  Oh well, you live and you learn...

Thank you to those who were able to make it out to the event, blogged about it, talked about it or shared it on Facebook and Twitter.  It is thanks to everyone who had an interest in the show and the story behind it for making it such a great success.  Kate has already begun talking about making the event an annual affair.  All I know is that I am there as a designer or as a spectator-whichever she would prefer.

xo Amber