fashionweek – FASHIONEEKA.

Back to Black | VFW Day 5

VFW-Day5-Ryan-JasonSarai VFW-Day5-inside

The sun was shining and for my final Vancouver Fashion Week, I decided to go with timeless black. Inspired by one of my favourite designers showing that afternoon, Shravan Kumar, I brought a bit of India with me – wearing my mum’s vintage jewellery. My colour choice didn’t echo Shravan’s actual collection, which was beautifully inspired by the Tribes of India and brought with it an array of colours and prints; but what I loved about this look was the play on textures: my silk dress worn on top of leather leggings, juxtaposing femininity with hard-hitting edge.

Plunging necklines are daring, but this one provided the perfect jewellery-showcasing backdrop. As much as I tried to go full-on black, I couldn’t resist a little colour à la blue-suede platforms + red-studded belt. With Ryan back with me to watch our last day of shows, bringing his A-game in that amazing suit, it was a great end to a fabulous week.

dress, Babaton / leather leggings, Wilfred / shoes, Zara / jewellery, vintage / sunglasses, Dior / belt, Club Monaco

Photos: streetscout.me + Curran Sandher

Printed Pencils | VFW Day 4

I decided to bring a little work-wear for day 4 at Vancouver Fashion Week, teaming a timeless chambray with an office-appropriate printed pencil skirt. Casual fridays at the office allows a little more flexibility with my outfits, which means stepping away from corporate greys & bringing in a bit more colour, and creating an easy transition from day to runway.

Although I missed my front-row partner in crime, as Ryan decided to make a couple of catwalk appearances (he rocked the runway, by the way), it was so fun getting to spend the afternoon watching the shows with Sabrina and Jeremy from streetscout.me. As you can see from the first photo above, the pouring rain didn’t stop Jeremy from snagging an awesome shot – in 10 seconds, flat! Ryan quickly joined us for the last couple of shows and his off-duty model style was at it’s best: showing us all how to be masters in layering.

chambray shirt + assorted jewellery, J Crew / skirt, zara / boots, Sam Edelman / bag, Auxiliary at Aritzia / sunglasses, Dior

Photos: streetscout.me + Curran Sandher

Raincouver Florals – VFW Day II

On a rainy Vancouver afternoon, what better way is there to brighten up the grey skies than with a pop of floral? Layering was also key, as the temperatures dropped dramatically: Ryan keeping warm by adding in a denim jacket, me in light layered jackets over my crisp collared shirt. Luckily by the time we arrived, the rain had settled down and we managed to snap a few photos before heading inside for the shows.

It was lovely meeting up with Andrea (check out her fabulous blog here) and it was great having Claire bring that french chic along with her. There’s a glimpse of my dapper-suited brother as well, who makes the odd appearance here and there but is usually seen behind the camera snapping those great details and outfits.

The day’s shows brought a bit of Indian culture to the runway – something I always get excited to see. Sunny’s Bridal presented exquisitely embroidered Indian outfits, for both men and women, and a surprise model – Chef Vikram Vij – strutting down the catwalk for the finale, which was a crowd pleaser for sure!

TopShop trousers / Kurt Geiger London shoes / J Crew shirt / Bag by Auxiliary at Aritzia / Alexander McQueen silk scarf

Joseph Altuzarra a/w 2013

For fall/winter 2013, Joseph Altuzarra bravely discarded the prints and embellishments that have been oh-so pretty and present in his past collections. What were often the most memorable and what made me love his pieces so much (due to my never-ending love of prints), I wasn’t sure what i’d make of this drastic departure however, I fell quite in love with it!

An “exploration of street”, the clothes were slick and city-ready from the very first fitted pant suit and leather bolero with exaggerated shoulder (an emerging silhouette that is proving ever so popular in New York, first seen in the form of Karl’s framed shoulders not too long ago in Paris for couture week).

“If you take away print and embroidery, you have to challenge yourself a bit more on the cut”, as Altuzarra described. Well, he easily overcame that challenge! Moving away from the comfort of prints demanded a sharper attention to tailoring, cut, and fit – which was prominently displayed in the coat-dresses with nipped in waists and double-breasted power suits (did you love the big buttons like i did?! there’s proof is in the detail, people!) — pure talent in elaborate construction.

The prints were replaced with straight lines, corseted leather and vinyl fabrics (which Altuzarra preferred because of its waterproof nature, proving it to age better than leather). Not to mention the restrained yet somewhat fresh colour palette (black, white, caramel, and a hint of forest green). The pieces evoked a discernible essence of reality, yet managed to keep some of that dreamy fantastical nature and trip-around-the-world feel of his past collections.

Actually, those over-scaled fox-fur mittens tapped into that past whimsical nature (maybe a bit too much for my liking) but would undoubtedly keep you warm amidst the raw chills of winter.

The sexiness of the clothes was also unquestionable, seen in use of the luxe monochromes and leather (what’s not sexy about leather?), defined waists and zippy-skirts. Altuzarra himself stated that “every collection plays with the idea of sexy and sensuality, but in this one the sexiness was very overt”.

“The fiercest, sexiest and most wearable clothes in New York”? Tim Blanks, you took the words right outta my mouth.

New York Fashion Week Favourite: Marc Jacobs a/w 2012

For my first fashion week review I thought it would be appropriate to deviate from ordering the shows as to the date they were shown and jump straight to New York’s darling: Marc Jacobs — he’s always been an absolute favourite designer of mine as he, alone, sparked my initial interest in fashion & was the first luxury designer handbag I ever invested in.. I guess you could say he sort of has a sentimental value in my heart.

His autumn/winter collection more than proves himself worthy of such admiration and talent; starting off with an outer-worldy set of an icy, warped, wintry village – designed by renowned artist friend Rachel Feinstein (who is one of the features in the latest LOVE Magazine) – Marc restored the subversive elements to the world of fairy tales.

It was like being Alice in a Marc Jacobs Wonderland (complete with mad-hatters and exaggerated everything) mixed with Little Red Riding Hood, lost in an enchanted forest.

The colourful parade of furry Dr Seuss hats (designed by Stephen Jones) combined with holographic-looking appliqués, paisley-prints (which are continuing to be on trend so it’s a perfect time to invest now for both spring and fall!), oversized safety pins holding in place the draped fur shrugs with chunky crocheted stoles around the shoulders, and unique Ostrich shoes gave the audience a less traditional Disney-esque feel of fables

Layered wraps & capes reigned supreme with a piled combination of textures, colours, and patchwork present in every outfit. Silhouettes included hourglass shapes and exaggerated hips, and were bulkier and looser with expert box pleating for cropped jackets & loose dresses worn over cropped pants.

I loved the Oliver Twist sentiments of basic fabrics and colours contrasted with rich and luxurious embellishments and embroidery (another ongoing trend seen on the New York catwalks — see Altuzarra for example). The juxtaposition of the most elemental fabrics with the most affluent produced dramatic and absolutely beautiful, albeit unconventional, looks and is seen as a continuation of the past 2 season’s fascination of contrasting fabrications…

Although it wasn’t his usual kind of beautiful, this collection showed something else — it was a somewhat daring and ornate kind of beauty, which evoked a sense of curiosity and fun into fashion… poetic & magical — Master Marc does it again!

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