Guelph: Heather Loney talks to Vancouver designer Carlie Wong

This month I was lucky enough to have a cross-country chat with the lovely Carlie Wong (carliewong.com).  Her sleek Spring 2009 collection caught the eye of fashion elite and her Fall 2009 outing is about to hit the runway at LG Fashion Week.

The Vancouver-based designer first got our attention as one of the hopefuls on the inaugural season of Project Runway Canada.  The experience on the show was “totally unreal,” says Wong. 

The show was essentially fashion boot camp. Competitors were hooked up to a microphone for eighteen plus hours a day, sometimes sleeping only three hours a night.  The designers were given a day or two to complete an outfit—a time constraint quickly whittled down by interviews, meals and moving to and from the set. 

A year and a half later, Wong is putting the final touches on her Fall 2009 show, her third Toronto showing.  The highly collection retains her signature mix of attitude and sophistication.  “It’s really the inspiration behind all my designs,” she explains. 

The allure of her work is created by the tension between contrasts: masculine and feminine, classic and modern, strength and beauty. All of of these were evident in her spring line, which showcased the designers eye for sweet details and classic proportion—like pairing ruffles on a jet-black halter with cinched-waist ivory trousers.

Carlie Wong’s Fall 2009 show takes place on March 20 at LG Fashion Week (lgfashionweek.ca).

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