AFW Stars Align

By Nicole Trask | Jun 11, 2012

It’s occurred to me that I may have been a tad long winded in my last post. I know, I know! Hard to believe, right? But in my defence, it’s really challenging to sum up Atlantic Fashion Week in a few short sentences. That being said, I am going to try and keep this post on the Designer Showcase on Friday evening a little more concise and simply focus on the highlights.

Without a doubt, Monday’s Child was one of my favourite collections of the evening. Victorian inspired looks with romantic vests, lacy slips and long sheer skirts paired with charm necklaces radiated a boho and devil-may-care attitude. The drop-waisted white dress with plunging crocheted back was a standout but I also adored the high collars, stoles, capes and wonderful mustard statement jacket.

All My Fashions embraces reclaimed garments and screen printing with the addition of on-trend pleats, patchwork and ruffled hems. Jere Brooks provided a polished collection of floaty layers, sleek black dresses and neon prints. On the other end of the spectrum, DrunkGurl screams “I’m young and I want to party all night,” so if this is your thing, look no further! I did get a kick out of the fringed mini dress and the male model in the plunging hot pink t-shirt framed by a print of oversized lips. DrunkGurl demands attention and flaunts assets, unapologetically.

Dreamboat Lucy recently wowed crowds by snagging a position as a Mercedes Benz Start-Up national finalist. I’m familiar with their edgy use of leather, fringe and vibrant colours. The pieces are well made and contemporary embracing all things free-spirited. I love the wrap leather skirt and Florence lime green blouse as well as the long coral dress with low-cut back. Meanwhile, Cranky evoked summertime ease with full length printed and flowing frocks with gathered backs that would be flattering on a variety of shapes and sizes.

The evening would NOT have been complete without a dramatically theatrical collection from Sebastian Couture. Gathered skirts with bustles of black and red tulle, plunging necklines and twig headdresses paired with Marie Antoinette style make-up and balloon accessories commanded the full attention of everyone in the room. Sebastian Blagdon joined in the drama as the last model and this collection was reminiscent of couture and hammered home how fun the outlandishness of high fashion can truly be. Is it wearable? God, no! But that’s not the point…

Some of Halifax’s veteran designers brought us back down to reality. Orphanage reclaimed and restructured edgy garments have become an AFW mainstay and I enjoyed the creative refashioning of men’s suits into modern dresses. Veronica MacIsaac wowed the crowd, as usual, with her contemporary take on tartan. I love her pencil skirts, military inspired jacket with tails and high-waisted shorts. She even tried her hand at maternity wear in a fun moment when the only pregnant model of the evening sashayed down the runway in a playful MacIsaac smock, proving that tartan can be worn by one and all.

Turbine closed out the evening and it was lovely to see designer Lisa Drader-Murphy take inspiration from her recent travels to India. A departure from previous collections, rich hues of blue and gold were paired with laid back harem pants, bindis and trademark ultra-wide obi belts.

-Nicole

Argh! Well, I tried to be more concise….

All the above photos are Monday’s Child