Edmonton Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2009

I met up with my sister and a few of her friends last Thursday for the fall/winter incarnation of Edmonton Fashion Week.

Serendipity by Kelsey McIntyre

The final night of the weeklong celebration of fashion saw a mix of seasonally appropriate, cold weather wear, alongside optimistic, albeit out of place, spring lines. Although I appreciate that the organizers provide designers with seemingly free reign when it came to exhibiting their collections, I think some control should be exerted – otherwise, the show comes off as disjointed and inconsistent.

More than other Fashion Week shows I have attended in the past, the age range of the audience varied widely this time around – from families with young children, to groups of teenage girls, to clusters of retirees. I think it’s great that such diverse individuals decided to attend the event.

I have to also make mention that I loved the music played that night. And probably because of being trained after numerous seasons of The Hills, I almost expected (and wanted) a continuous listing of the the evening’s soundtrack.

As for the collections themselves, Kelsey McIntyre and Jason Matlo stood out the most for me, although for different reasons. I was happy to have had the opportunity to see McIntyre’s Serendipity collection again (she also exhibited in the spring), and as previous, I could definitely see myself wearing her designs – fitted pants, feminine but practical sweaters, and flirty skirts. And oh, the dresses…

Serendipity by Kelsey McIntyre

Matlo’s shows (he had two) got off to an odd start. Instead of letting the collections speak for themselves, he felt the need to project choice words up on the backdrop, such as “chic”, “classy” and “sexy”, prior to his first model hitting the catwalk. Form-fitting, Babe by Jason Matlo definitely displayed his appreciation of the female figure.

Babe by Jason Matlo

His second showcase wasn’t notable so much for the clothes, but for his choice of models, which included the runner up in this past season of Canada’s Next Top Model, Linsay Willier. As someone commented, her air of confidence was unmistakable. Although she wasn’t necessarily much taller than her fellow models, she definitely seemed to be.

Linsay Willier wearing Jason Matlo

The other three collections didn’t really appeal to me, although Lani Van Rooyen had some show stopping gowns (why the models had to walk like they were jilted brides was another issue entirely). Amanda’s favourite outfit of the night was by Laura Dreger, which featured a leopard print coat, leggings, and a Starbucks cup as an accessory (you can read more about her thoughts about fashion at her blog).

Lani Van Rooyen

Laura Dreger (not Amanda’s favourite outfit, but another leopard print one)

Edmonton Fashion Week Spring/Summer will be returning in April – check the website for updates in the spring.

Thanks to Amanda and Eric for taking all of the photos – you can take a look at the photo set here.