The third and final day of Ottawa Fashion Week opened to a smaller crowd than the previous two shows, but the attendance wasn’t a sign as to what to expect from the designers. With a higher quality and obvious experience, the designers broke away from the typical trends and gave us something new and interesting.
First down the runway was Strévé. The collection brought a number of capes and coats, with matching scarves. Bold patterns contrasted with subtle textured leather, a perfect line for a winter wonderland. The final piece was a large cape of pieced together shades of brown fabric which was reminiscent of the 1970s.
Next, Lococina played with shapes and construction, often outfits were bottom heavy creating a unique silhouette. Some aspects I didn’t like were off-centered buttons and purposefully frayed bottoms of dresses which didn’t click with the rest of the collection.
The seats filled up considerably for the second act, which was worth it because the next designer, Sukhoo Sukhoo, was arguably the best part of the weekend. The models came out with attitude — winking, wiggling, smiling, and having a blast down the runway. They instantly changed the atmosphere of the event. In addition to the winning smiles, the models also sported high buns with hair chopsticks. The chopsticks had long hair extensions attached to the ends of them. It was a sight to behold, but didn’t distract from the amazing designs by Sukhoo Sukhoo. All the colours used were metallics, mainly featuring black and gold. The regal and feminine line came to a close with a top that was just layers upon layers of ruffles to create volume, paired with a sheer train on the bottom half and fitted pants, all of which was in gold.
The following label, Anjoreen Couture, gave a full collection of men’s and women’s outfits, often couples would come down the runway sporting matching attire. With an African influence the collection was well done, showing us bright patterns and themed accessories.
MUSE then showed us a collection featuring dark tones and leather as well. This line had the best use of textures on leather of the entire weekend.
The final collection was from Helmer, a line of beautifully bizarre creations. Some outfits took notes from Burberry, going fully plaid, with a model walking a large black dog down the runway that matched the corresponding dress. There were full head coverings of textured items and other intricate details made this line the most innovative of the weekend.
Providing the finale for Fashion Week was the UNICEF charity show, which had local Ottawa celebrities come down the runway in fashions from the weekend. It was a very fun and lighthearted atmosphere as reporters, TV hosts, and athletes strutted their stuff. Half way through the show we were serenaded by Julie Nesrallah, CBC Radio 2 host and Mezzo-soprano. She engaged the audience and left everyone smiling after her performance. The show left me with a strong sense community, and while there were no Valentinos or Chanels over the weekend, the overall event had a distinctly ‘Ottawa’ feel.
If there’s one thing to take away from the designs we saw this season, it is to stock up on black and leather pieces (or black leather pieces) for the upcoming fall/winter. Don’t forget to add some pops of colour and you’ll be ready to own the Ottawa fashion scene.
