Vancouver Fashion Week: Runway Reviews Part 3

April 13th, 2009 | Published in Event Report | 1 Comment

Words by Maria. All photos by Benjamin Luk.

The third day of Vancouver Fashion Week was a day for “International/Contemporary/RTW” designers. String covers the shows of four of these designers: Lauren Vidal from Paris, Joseph Domingo from San Francisco, Helen Lee from Shanghai, and Malene Grotrian from Vancouver. Joseph Domingo and Helen Lee both presented menswear as well as womenswear, but their womenswear far outshone the men’s in several cases. Below, String focuses solely on the womenswear aspect of the aforementioned designers.

Lauren Vidal

Paris made its mark during Vancouver Fashion Week, with much to show and much thought left for inspiration. Revital Vidal’s designs had the look of comfort that many Vancouverites seek, but at the same time her designs had that touch of modernity and effortless style many Parisians possess. Crimped furs trimmed various coats and models sported headbands that brought to mind 1940’s turbans. Greys, foggy blues, and blacks predominated in Vidal’s collection, making their appearance in light knits and jersey cottons. Even leather made its way into her designs, a trend that many designers are taking on for the coming fall season.

Joseph Domingo

Joseph Domingo’s collection was a hit during “International/Contemporary/RTW” day at VFW. His designs were classy yet edgy, with a palette of blacks, greys, and golds. Corsets paired with skin-tight pants and metallic dresses in a marbled pattern were definitely designed to show off the wearer’s curves. Domingo’s signature fish scale detailing made its appearance in a dress and capelet, and his knack for creating cute but sexy mini dresses definitely shone on the runway. His pieces really called to mind a “femme fatale” attitude, especially if worn together instead of taken in small doses.

Helen Lee

Old and new, traditional and modern were some of the elements that Helen Lee played around with for her F/W ’09 collection. Embroidered flowers in a traditional Chinese style adorned several of Lee’s pieces, as well as fabrics seen in traditional dress. With cut-outs at the neck and thigh, constructed with shimmery and sometimes leather-esque fabric, and cut well above the knee, Lee’s version of the cheongsam was very sexy-licious to say the least. Aside from the use of cow hide—especially in a cobalt blue dress with a flame cut-out neck line—Lee’s collection was glam and fabulous, fit for the modern woman with prowess.

Malene Grotrian

Malene Grotrian’s F/W ’09 collection show was quite the striking event. Flowing fabrics, heavy silk taffetas, and textured materials paraded down the runway in many forms: from an iridescent blue and purple dress to an opaque black mushroom-pleated skirt suit. Her dresses both rustled and fluttered down the runway, the former in the form of expansive and dramatic dresses and the latter in her more simple and straight-forward designs. The silhouettes, details, and cuts Grotrian chose for her collection are definitely fit for the sophisticated, mature woman that is proud of her curves.