The first day of Ottawa Fashion Week showcasing Fall/Winter 2013 collections came to a delayed start thanks to the wonderful Ottawa weather that caused a designer to be late. However, the snow blustering outside didn’t stop the night from being a success.
This was the first year that Fashion Week has been held at the Ottawa Convention Centre. The venue was large and felt sophisticated and chic, featuring a classic long white runway, apparently a step up from the smaller venue in Little Italy last season.
Overall the first night brought us a few solid lines of fall and winter wear that favoured leather accents and pops of colour.
The first designers to start off the night were University of Trinidad & Tobago design graduates showing their thesis collections. While many of the pieces were bold and had unique aspects they fell short in choices of fabric and overall construction. Sefani’s collection was next to grace the runway, showing us a collection that looked cozy and sophisticated but not particularly standing out.
After a slow start the runway was livened by the next line by Bernice & Barclay. They showed off their fun collection with models that broke out of the usual stoic walk by dancing to the music and blowing kisses at the photographers. The designs featured were mostly solid coloured knit dresses, in black, red, and teal, broken up with a zigzag patterned floor length dress. Earmuffs, mittens, and scarves were another playful touch, particularly apt with the snowstorm that hit Ottawa earlier in the day they easily garnered longing looks from the audience.
Copious was my designer highlight of the evening. Classic and elegant, the line featured vintage-inspired cocktail dresses that were beautifully constructed. Patterns and materials were a big factor for Copious, using plaid, floral, lace, a grid pattern, and even gold sequins. It still managed to be modern and coherent without venturing into the realm of tacky. Construction was also key with the integration of various trends that have been popular the last few seasons, such as peplum and high-low hems. One of the final pieces was the first of the night to truly impress, a floor-length gold sequin gown that glimmered down the runway.
The next label, Inna, was also quite impressive. Keeping with vintage inspired looks, Inna took a step towards modern by adding a lot of leather outfits and leather details. The models had their hair in messy buns but it was paired with defined brows and dark eyes to complete the hard but feminine feel of the line. The final dress of the collection was the next piece that commanded attention down the runway, a ball gown with a fitted lace top and full black skirt.
The two last designers to show off their collections, White Label and Elise Bourque, were also successful. Similar to the other lines they continued to use dark neutrals and leather accents, with Elise Bourque breaking the monotony with winter coats boasting giant furs.
The end of the night left me yearning to see more and looking forward to the next two nights which will hopefully bring us more innovative fashion and less snow.
