Vancouver Fashion Week 2014 (Part 1)

EVERYTHING IN TREND UNDER A TENT

(OPENING NIGHT - DAY 1)

On me - Dress (F21) | Cross-Body Bag (F21) | Leather Jacket (H&M) | Shoes (Call It Spring)

Elise Lucas 

What's new? Hope y'all had a great week! I know I did. I got the privilege to attended my very first Vancouver Fashion Week next to one of Vancouver's most divine playhouse, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. As you know, these designs are all for the Spring/Summer collection of 2015.

Here are quick 5 quick acts about what went down:

1. I attended #VFW2014 with some of my friends from UBC! (connections = week pass)

2. Lots of attendees chose this opportunity (especially on OPENING night) to either dress in style or just go avant-garde! No surprise.

Now THAT'S a statement jacket.

3. Backstage was mayhem! You're either getting your hair and makeup done or running around taking selfies with other attendees or just having a good time getting in the way of those running around (guilty).

4. If you're not looking as out there as some people chose to look, your chances of getting photographed range from "I GUESS I could take a photo of you..." to "MOVE BITCH!". On another note, dress whatcha like but this was what I witnessed.

5. The show itself was truly majestic. Models gliding on the runway in look after look and the music making you either half-deaf or half-wanting-to-dance.

Opening Gala - A variety of different textures, colors and aesthetics | Photos by Grace Cheng

 Interested to know more? You got it!

- What shows did you watch? 

My friends and I were only able to attend two shows that cloudy Monday night. Both of which I was unable to get any good shots to NO shots at all of the designs due to the low battery life of my camera. The "Opening Gala" featured multiple presentations of outfits originally made by the designers itself. So yes, it wasn't a show featuring just ONE designer but a variety of them (refer to the lovely photos above). "Olya" was the name of the second show that I've managed to watch half way through before heading home. They featured clothes that were inspired by the dreamy ease of the seaside and I thought they flowed exuberantly down the runway. 

- Is VFW a must-see? 

As an attendee who got in for free, I was very much excited to be attending an event that was relevant to my love for fashion. But if you are unwilling to pay $30 for a show pass or $75 for a day pass, then move on, sister. I highly recommend going for at least one show/day if you are a newbie (like me), just to get a flavour of what's it like in an actual design show. No, this may not be front row Alexander Wang or Vutton or Gucci, but if you really enjoy clothes and the mindless chatter about them then why not? 

Pre-show set-up | Gotta dig the lighting hey?

- What's so exciting about VFW other than the clothes? 

The people. No. The people IN their clothes. Goodie bags are a bonus right? Okay, seriously, there are numerous amounts of fashion bloggers and A-list celebrities roaming around the tent just feeding off the vibe of the event. And they do it in style! There are girls dressed from head-to-toe in black, dressed in sequins or different colours; some even with inanimate objects on them. Men in silver pants and printed jackets or a nice tux with a rad accessory to pair with it. Once your eyes and body get used this sort of hectic, dynamic environment, you really get absorbed into it. I found myself really curious as to each individual's choice in outfit and how they executed it. Some made sense to me, some awed me and some made me grimaced. But for me, that's the fun in fashion shows. The audience who attends them is a runway show itself.

- Lastly...can you attend VFW even if you're not into fashion? 

HELL to the YEAH! Fashion is for everyone. You don't need style to think you're worthy of attending any kind of runway show. If anything, it will serve you as a key to get your picture taken. Never take fashion seriously and take a chance. If it's still not your scene, cut it and move on. But if you do end up liking it, well, I guess I'll see you next year then. 

Is that Elise Estrada I see? | Photos by Grace Cheng

Here was my OOTN! I was really diggin' the Carrie Bradshaw vibe that night. But in all honesty, I only had an hour to get ready and this was the result of my best efforts under such a small time frame. Don't be deceived, walking on campus with these heels to catch my ride was hell. 

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!

Okay, that's enough jibber-jabber about fashion for this post. Stay chic.

yours until i own a pair of Prada loafers,

marissa