Vancouver Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014: Day 4

Day 4 at Vancouver Fashion Week was a great source of inspiration, from a plethora of established designers. The day started with an extensive collection by Lili Ming which was truly astonishing: all the designs were knitted by hand (she's a Guiness World Record holder for most prolific pattern designer)! Each outfit had a unique pattern and entirely different design; some had beautiful flowing ruffles, others had vibrant prints, and others still combined tight knits with loose knits. It was amazing how Liming Li was able to create so many varied looks with only knits. Now that's talent. And yet the talent didn't end there: I was very curious to see Kristina Banden's collection, after meeting her at VFW last year. At the time, she was there to support her daughter who was modelling that season, and it was great to see her daughter modelling her finale gown this season. The dress reminded me of Rebecca Elizabeth's collection at UFV's Absolute Style show earlier this year. I just love that they both took advantage of the Gatsby trend this year and added strings of elegant pearls to accentuate the back.

And speaking of Gatsby...do we see a trend here? Yep, this is definitely my favourite style of the year: the roaring 20's. Dark lips, curls, long strings of pearls, and beads/sequins are the staples for this style, and I had a blast dressing up. For a regular day, I'd toss the sequin vest in favour of a fitted black blazer, but for Fashion Week, the glitz and glam is what it's all about!

Corset-Costa Blanca, Pants-BB Dakota(via Little White House), Vest-thrifted, Necklace-H&M, Hat-Icing, Shoes-Forever21

Lili Ming:

Papillon:

Nikki Babie:

Indiverve:

Kristina Banden:

Giovanna Ricci:

Laurel Judd:

Angela Reyna:

El Closet de mi Hermana & Warmi Footwear

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Vancouver Fashion Week FW2013: Day 1

I was so anxious today up until the shows began...when it only comes twice a year, you can't help but yet overly excited and stressed (about what to wear, obviously). It was a fantastic night, and the team did such an amazing job of making the experience enjoyable. The bestie/photographer and I, and our new blogger friends Angela Estelle and Tina had front row seats to the fabulous runway shows featuring the designs of Eik Designs, Mirae Kim, Emily Hart, QiQee, Papillon, Nikki Babie, and Shelley Klassen.

I was overjoyed to see some of my favourite fall/winter trends from last year will be carrying over to this year. Leather seemed to be a prominent component of many of the designers' collections, and was used as everything from piping to panels to texture blocking. Other trends like peplum and the high-low hemline also appear to be here to stay for the time being!

As it was the first day of Spring today, I went all out in terms of both colour and print. With a floral print as busy as this, I thought it best to keep my other bold colours as solids. I chose to mix bright hues of tangerine, pink, and cobalt with black pieces to keep the floral look under control. Especially with the rain that ensued, it was nice to have a healthy dose of colour in my outfit!





Blazer-BCBGeneration(thrifted), Shirt-Urban Behaviour, Skirt-H&M(thrifted), Shoes-G:21(via Walmart), Sunglasses-H&M, Necklace-H&M




With blogger buddy Tina- her boots are my fav! They're just perfect for staying fashionable in Vancouver's cold/wet weather. And her bow purse is just adorable beyond words.




Eik Designs:


Sequinned paneled pants: I am in love and must have a pair! These were one of my favourite designs of the evening.




The talented ladies behind Eik Designs: Elisabet Ingfa Kristofersdottir and Jocelyn Neufeld.


Mirae Kim:


Yes, those are eye on her pants. I was actually more interested in the leather-detailed blazer. Just too cool for words.


This flowing cape/jacket is so incredibly unique; I have no idea how I would wear this, but it stole my heart.








Emily Hart:




These jackets were a big hit this past fall/winter. I'm glad to see they will be breathing new life into them for f/w 2013!


With some of the other fashionable guests of VFW: Rony Walia and his date


Part of the make-up team, Lisa Plaza took the time to grab a picture with us before getting back to work behind the scenes!


QiQee:




One of my other favourite designs this evening: the top has a 'warrior' feel to it that exudes a powerful sexiness with the leather detailing. And that sheer skirt just seals the deal!


My absolute favourite design of the evening. This gown needs to be seen in person to fully appreciate it's vibrant hue and flowing fabric. The dreamy and shocking highlighter fabric, combined with the leather bodice gives this dress 'statement' status and makes it to the top of my 'want it NOW' list!


Pandora:




Papillion:




The collared dress is too cute! And so is the print! This would make an adorable summer dress that could transition easily to fall.




Shelley Klassen:


Peplum is back too! Another trend that has proved to last another season.


The high-low hemline is another trend that appears to be sticking around: and I couldn't be happier. The flouncing fabric exuded a strong, feminine appeal, and the blue hue was a perfect choice.

\

See you on the runway!


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Vancouver Fashion Week: Runway Day 1

I was far too nervous and excited to sleep the night before VFW's first show of the Spring/Summer 2013 season. Luckily, everything went extremely smoothly and I had an absolutely fantastic time interviewing fashion designers, stylish Vancouverites, and VIPs, not to mention getting a backstage look at the ongoings of a fashion show. I am so grateful to the VFW team and their sponsor Strutta for sharing this amazing Runway Corespondent opportunity with me! Day 1 boasted a significant line up of talented designers including Gianni Maanaki, Papillon, Theresa Chen, Gert-Johan Coetzee, Misty Greer, and RG Sanchez.

My favourite interview of the evening went to South African designer Gert-Johan, who is just such a pleasant and fascinating person. His designs are truly amazing, and considering his level of fame in South Africa, he is still down to earth and approachable. I asked him how he came up with this collection, and he said he likes to start with a black canvas and add to it, in this case with neon hues, to create something dramatic. Dramatic would definitely describe his show; the lights dimmed, bright green lights filled the room in a glow, and then, in the darkness, a model appeared with flashing neon lights on her dress. That's one runway show that's hard to forget.

And yet Gert's show wasn't the only one to try something a little different. Misty Greer's Trunk Show collection was fun, sexy, and had everyone's eyes on the runway. An assortment of runway models and burlesque dancers strutted and danced their way down the runway in sparkles, lace, and thigh-highs. It was definitely a fashionable spectacle!

So far, the most prominent trends have been leather, unique prints, and mixing of colours/prints. In the days to come, we'll see if any other trends develop.

If you missed the Opening Gala for VFW this past Tuesday, you can watch my Runway Diary of the event on the VFW's youtube page!

 




Designer Gianni Maanaki's collection




Interviewing designer Gianni Maanaki


Designer Theresa Chen's collection






My FAVOURITE design of the night: Theresa Chen's Chinese-inspired suit. I loved the side cuts and black embellishments.




Two lovely VIPs of the evening: my photographer besties Chantale and her sister (and designer of my dress for the evening, Rebecca of Rebecca Elizabeth Designs)



Me with the fashionably-fierce Ivy of This is What We Do blog. It's always so exciting meeting Vancouver bloggers, who I've been following for some time. Check out her post from the Day 1 of VFW here (you'll see me there too!).


Alex Liang, Editor-in-Chief of KENTON magazine, showing us his combination of accessories. I was totally enthralled by his watch, which you can switch out for a different coloured face-plates. Love!


And yes, we totally coordinated our outfit colours prior to the show.


The Papillon collection. Such unique patterns!




Backtage, a quick interview with one of the models for the Misty Greer Trunk Show collection.


One of the stunning designs by Gert-Johan Coetzee. Look at those shoulder! And they light up!




A stylist for Misty Greer tells us about all the sparkle and colour we are about to see!


A seductress' silhouette on the runway for Misty Greer






Designer of Rebecca Elizabeth Designs takes her seat by the runway


Coetzee's collection takes the stage






The RG Sanchez collection: lots of mixing prints and colours






One of my besties, Shiv, put on her best to come out and see the VFW festivities. Gold is BIG this season and she's rocking it!


Catching up with RG Sanchez after the show.


D.W. of D.W. Fashion, who has been outfitting the producer of VFW Justin Voitic all week. Love those pants!


Me and the girls, seated and ready for another runway show.

I can't believe so much happened in just one day! It's crazy, really. The diversity of fashion at this event is astounding, with every colour, print and texture imaginable on display. To all of you who couldn't make it out to the event, you can catch all the updates and runway photos on the Vancouver Fashion Week facebook page  and keep checking the VFW blog for my Runway Diary posts each day of Fashion Week!