Saturday was ladies night at Ottawa Fashion Week with seven designers showcasing ultra-feminine womenswear.
Jana Hanzel and Emilia Torabi opened the show with a tribute to Africa. Bright, African influenced fabrics were shown on structured dresses. Looks were paired with extravagant hats, possibly pulling inspiration from the hat trend started by the Duchess of Cambridge.
Rachel Sin’s architectural approach to fashion was evident in her structured two-piece cream suits and fitted, cage-back, cut-out dresses. Her collection looked effortlessly chic and modern. The silhouettes of paper bag pants and skirts and the crocheted, shift dress referenced both the 80’s and 60’s, but Sin kept it modern with impeccable tailoring and fresh colours, including coral, cream, metallic silver and a hint of cheetah print.
Demoyo, which means "from the heart", in Shona a language spoken in designer, Paidemoyo Chideya’s native Zimbabwe, was a collection about light. “I looked up at the sun and thought about how we wouldn’t be alive without it,” Chideya said. Her colour choices, which she named, were inspired by a beautiful sunny day, the sky or “universal blues”, clouds “vanilla sky”, and grass “fresh cut”. Chideya showed a breathtaking, full-length, royal blue dress and many ready-to-wear outfits. They African influence was more subtle in this collection. Chideya said she sourced 85-90 per cent of the fabric from Zimbabwe.
Samuel Dong showed a collection of dresses suitable for a garden party. Each piece was made from different feminine fabrics. Prints featuring perfume bottles, butterflies, and florals were among the many beautiful patterns. Shirt dresses were belted at the waist and featured in various lengths. Dong said he believes every women is a flower waiting to bloom. This design mentality is apparent because his clothes are figure flattering.
Symbiose by Hinda A showed a girly ready-to-wear collection. The hourglass silhouette was emphasized in wrap dresses and jumpsuits. Symbiose used the same cream, crocheted fabric also seen in Rachel Sin’s collection.
Bridal designer, David McCaffrey, showed elegant wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses and formal attire. Dresses with a delicate, lace overlay were shown in cream and black in various lengths, citing lace as a key trend in bridal.
The last show of the night, was a viewing of Jeanne Beker’s line, Edit. Beker, a world renowned fashion reporter, was in Paris for another fashion week. Edit is a collection of classic, wearable pieces, Beker believes every woman should own.
Saturday night had the highest attendance of fashion followers. Halfway through the night, three more rows of seating were added and people were still forced to stand to catch a glimpse of the trends for Spring/Summer 2012. Overall, this was just the infusion of style that Ottawa needed, especially given the recent verdict that it is the 8th worst-dressed city in the world. Perhaps these three days of fashion proved that there is much more to the capital than meets the eye…at least when it comes to dressing anyway…