Ottawa Fashion Week S/S '12: Day 3 recap

I write to you from bed, where I have been for the past 15 hours, for Ottawa Fashion Week has drained me of all energy and health.  In other words, after running around for the past few days, I'm finally feeling the consequences.  This is undoubtedly the worst fashion week hangover I have ever experienced.  And no, it's not from that glass of champagne I had at the show (that consequently caused me to flush red- how embarassing!).

The final day began with an African-inspired collection from Jana Hanzel & Emilia Torabi.  Though not something I would wear personally, I enjoyed the eclectic mix of tribal prints, colours, and cuts.  Next was DeMoyo with a beautiful simplistic collection with a subtle touch of unique structure and detailing.  The soft colour scheme was great, but cobalt blue and kelly green were great see too.  This was definitely one of my favourites of the night because of its classy practicality.

Rachel Sin started off the second set with her dressy collection that featured her classic structured pieces.  The collection included some LBDs and little white dresses with an edgy unique touch.  The pantsuits were also great to see since it strayed away from the usual cocktail occasion pieces.  Symbiose by Hinda A was next with a lovely mix of casual ready-to-wear ensembles with a classy touch.  While most pieces were simple, the use of patterns, metallics, and sheers were a great addition.  Samuel Dong captivated the audience with his great collection of dresses of varying patterns, structures, and colours.  All the pieces held a great spring/summer essence with pastel tones and cute cuts that balanced luxury and practicality.

David McCaffrey continued with the dresses with his couture collection.  In addition to tastefully extravagant white wedding gowns, he also designed beautiful dresses in black and champagne.  Ruffles, layers, and floor-sweeping hems are one thing, but it was the black sequin dress that stole the show.  For the "big finale", we had Edit by Jeanne Beker.  For those that don't know, she's basically the face of Canadian fashion.  But this doesn't mean that her collection should be automatically praised.  The clothing was not just casual and (overly) practical, but it was extremely soccer mom-esque.  The pieces looked like things I could pick up from Reitmans or Sears for about $30 bucks.  But hey, if that's your thing, I won't knock it.

Overall, Ottawa Fashion Week was extremely exhausting, but fun as always.  I (re)connected with some great people and really love the fashion and media community- they're hilarious, witty, and the drama always keeps things fresh.  Until next time, fashion week!


*Photos were taken by me but belong to Ottawa Fashion Week
*Views expressed are my own and not of Ottawa Fashion Week