I'm back at it, with a fresh mentality and a new sense of commitment.
Today was my first experience with World MasterCard Fashion Week, the New York Fashion Week of Toronto, but on a much smaller scale. I got to see three shows - Narces, Caitlin Power and Rudsak, and was generally blown away by what I saw.
Walking in, a fashion junkie is hit in the face with what feels like heaven. Gorgeous glamazons flock to each other with warm hellos, all dressed with an intricate balance of trend and class. Ciroc and Peroni are the beverages of choice for the night, and industry megastars saunter between booths, sampling products from Maybelline and admiring the latest Pandora charms.
Sitting down for the Narces show where I was, with a fortuitous stroke of good luck, a designer's guest, I took my seat among writers for Flare and Fashion and general fashion lovers. Narces' show was short and sweet - 12 looks, all dresses. The show offered a delicate mix of femininity and power - the collection switched between pastels, lace and flowy shapes to beaded numbers with metallic accents. The garments were elegant in a creative sense - but not too wacky that they couldn't be appreciated by the regular person. The final gown blew me away - a long-sleeved bodice with beaded accents and a brushed pink skater-style bottom. A girl in her mid-twenties, with places to go far more important than I have, could easily choose a Narces dress to wear.
Caitlin Power's mantra is to promote the strong, powerful independent woman - essentially the modern businesswoman. Though I felt her collection accomplished its mission, nothing really stuck out at me. There was a mix of colour, shape, pattern and texture, but for some reason nothing really jaw-dropping. There was nothing I really disliked, and I did point out to my cousin (my date for the evening) that I did particularly like some of the looks, but nothing stands out in my memory.
The Rudsak show, however, blew me away. I knew it would be my scene from the moment Robert Plant belted out "Whole Lotta Love" and that distinct Jimmy Page guitar riff overcame the silence. Leather, colour, texture, pattern and shape all helped to form the effortlessly cool, elegantly hipster cast found walking the streets of Queen West. The kind of girls and guys you look at in admiration and a twinge of jealousy. Snakeskin shorts complimented slouchy shirts, stark white cotton contrasted black leather, and pops of colour were strategically and stylishly placed. Sam Roberts continued to croon over the speakers, and I found myself thinking, "this is the woman I want to be." A certain femininity was mixed into a sense of tough yet chic coolness, while the male models sported ensembles, with strikingly similar colour palettes, that screamed "I'm good looking, I have money, and I'm put together." Well done, Rudsak.
Though I think Toronto is losing its fashion cool and is permanently stuck in the shadow of New York City, I was relatively impressed with the collections I saw today. Fangirling over Bernadette Morra and other fashion staff writers, I felt like maybe, just maybe, my heart is still in the right place. And maybe I don't have to leave home.
Today was my first experience with World MasterCard Fashion Week, the New York Fashion Week of Toronto, but on a much smaller scale. I got to see three shows - Narces, Caitlin Power and Rudsak, and was generally blown away by what I saw.
Walking in, a fashion junkie is hit in the face with what feels like heaven. Gorgeous glamazons flock to each other with warm hellos, all dressed with an intricate balance of trend and class. Ciroc and Peroni are the beverages of choice for the night, and industry megastars saunter between booths, sampling products from Maybelline and admiring the latest Pandora charms.
Sitting down for the Narces show where I was, with a fortuitous stroke of good luck, a designer's guest, I took my seat among writers for Flare and Fashion and general fashion lovers. Narces' show was short and sweet - 12 looks, all dresses. The show offered a delicate mix of femininity and power - the collection switched between pastels, lace and flowy shapes to beaded numbers with metallic accents. The garments were elegant in a creative sense - but not too wacky that they couldn't be appreciated by the regular person. The final gown blew me away - a long-sleeved bodice with beaded accents and a brushed pink skater-style bottom. A girl in her mid-twenties, with places to go far more important than I have, could easily choose a Narces dress to wear.
Caitlin Power's mantra is to promote the strong, powerful independent woman - essentially the modern businesswoman. Though I felt her collection accomplished its mission, nothing really stuck out at me. There was a mix of colour, shape, pattern and texture, but for some reason nothing really jaw-dropping. There was nothing I really disliked, and I did point out to my cousin (my date for the evening) that I did particularly like some of the looks, but nothing stands out in my memory.
The Rudsak show, however, blew me away. I knew it would be my scene from the moment Robert Plant belted out "Whole Lotta Love" and that distinct Jimmy Page guitar riff overcame the silence. Leather, colour, texture, pattern and shape all helped to form the effortlessly cool, elegantly hipster cast found walking the streets of Queen West. The kind of girls and guys you look at in admiration and a twinge of jealousy. Snakeskin shorts complimented slouchy shirts, stark white cotton contrasted black leather, and pops of colour were strategically and stylishly placed. Sam Roberts continued to croon over the speakers, and I found myself thinking, "this is the woman I want to be." A certain femininity was mixed into a sense of tough yet chic coolness, while the male models sported ensembles, with strikingly similar colour palettes, that screamed "I'm good looking, I have money, and I'm put together." Well done, Rudsak.
Though I think Toronto is losing its fashion cool and is permanently stuck in the shadow of New York City, I was relatively impressed with the collections I saw today. Fangirling over Bernadette Morra and other fashion staff writers, I felt like maybe, just maybe, my heart is still in the right place. And maybe I don't have to leave home.