FASHION Magazine
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Western Canada Fashion Week: Our roundup of the 71 best looks from the Fall 2013 show season
Photography by Aragondina See all the best looks from Western Canada Fashion Week Fall 2013 »
View by collection: Angélique Chmielewski |Bano eeMee |Kaadiki Femme | Luxx by Derek Jagodzinsky | Malorie Urbanovitch | Nicole Campre | Stanley Carroll
Western Canada Fashion Week (WCFW) wrapped its 16th season for Fall 2013 last week at Edmonton’s TransAlta Arts Barns and we can’t help but feel it’s the dawning of a new era. Since 2011, when the Mercedes Benz Start Up (MBSU) program began sweeping the country for the next promising design star, the fashion scene out west has taken a turn for the torrid, competitive even, inspiring looks worthy of national spotlight and quality clothing to write home about.
Top picks this season include Malorie Urbanovitch, a MBSU finalist at World MasterCard Fashion Week last October, who hosted the very first off-site show in the history of WCFW, at the StartUp Edmonton Headquarters in the Mercer Building in Edmonton’s trendy Warehouse District.
Urbanovitch treated the who’s who of the local fashion industry to a transcendental experience: before a dimly lit room, an ethereal fashion film shot at dawn in frostbitten Edmonton lay the groundwork for her Fall 2013 presentation (and made us so very proud to be living here). Full knitwear ensembles in creamy whites, charcoal greys, rusts and teals came floating down the runway alongside drop waists, soft pleats, classic silk slip dresses and lightly quilted jackets. The newest additions to her ready-to-wear label—a collection of accessories—include knee-high socks and a rumoured collection of handbags (are you paying attention yet?).
Back at the TransAlta Arts Barns, Nicole Campre, also a former MBSU finalist, blossomed from fashion underdog to full-on contender as she presented her Fall 2013 collection with a finely tuned grace well beyond her years. The 23-year old chose regal gold, rich maroon, and an array of neutral monochromatic fabrics in long dresses, coats, and skirts. The almost Asian-inspired collection felt fresh and modern with seamlessly integrated faux leather paneling, subtle slits, sheer blouses and pointed collars, while a few chunky knits wrapped around the waist were fit for the cool working girl.