Capital Oh!

Ottawa Fashion Week Day 3

This past Sunday concluded yet another installment of Fashion Week here in Ottawa. The shows were pretty diverse, with designers sending down something for everyone – even the fashionable men in the crowd. 

Loft 604, the first mainly menswear collection to be shown in OFW included a wide array of extra cozy sweaters along with a carefree, jazzy soundtrack which added to the easy and cool vibe of the collection.  The few womenswear pieces that came down the catwalk seemed out of place, and the first thing that came to mind was, “Oh! They must have spent the night at the guy’s house and then taken his sweater…hm.” Slightly strange…There was also a navy blue sweat suit, to which I simply ask, “Why?!” – sweatpants in public, as daywear, should never be an option…but anyhow, on to the next one…

The Helmer show had its bright moments – yes, I'm talking about that fluorescent pink pencil skirt – but it also seemed a bit confused.  At first, the pieces were tailored, ladylike, and mostly office appropriate.  Then, a soundtrack of Indian sounding music started playing which did not seem to fit with the colonial looking clothing that emerged next.  Tartan’s mixed with velvet, in purples, browns and grays were followed by gowns that seemed to belong to a separate collection altogether. One in particular seemed to be made of an old chandelier, and it was sent down the runway with no soundtrack other than the noise it made on its own.  The show ended with two bridal looks under one veil and a bagpipe player…how it got to that is really unclear.  That being said, some of the looks definitely had potential to be really great. 

 The Sukhoo Sukhoo show also offered some key pieces, such as the black and white circle patterned dress; the print was interesting, yet not crazy and the silhouette was really neat.  The black and white striped chiffon maxi dress was also a key piece, with a sort of Gaultier-esque feeling.  Overall, there were some really beautiful dresses, but the collection as a whole did not feel completely unified. 

And so ends another Fashion Week here in our capital city.  Stay tuned for a roundup of the best street-style looks from the entire weekend.  Here’s to next season! - J

Photos

1. Ella Peru 2. Loft 604 3. Helmer 4. Symbiose by hinda A. 5. Sukhoo Sukhoo 6. Helmer