Vancouver Fashion Week S/S 14, Day 4 - Dong De Xi, Aloysius Liew, Veejay Floresco, Noe Bernacelli and some great volunteers!

Runway images by Peter Jensen Photography
All other images as credited (Ed Ng Photography, Kuna Photography)

Jan van Vianen, Kat Ferneyhough, myself, Maark Abeernir
Image by Ed Ng Photography (Day 2 of runway shows)
After a day off, I was anxious to get back in my seat and soak up the great designs on the schedule this evening.  As always, there were new faces I had not seen in awhile to connect and grab candids with.  It's funny how small the world is sometimes.

Sitting with the beautiful Maria Kritikos of Ladies Who Lunch was a face so familiar to me. For five years I created custom dance costumes - 220 per year - and Anthe was one of the warm, patient and oh-so-life-saving women I dealt with often at Fabricana in Richmond.  Imagine my surprise to learn she was Maria's mum.  It was world's colliding in the best possible way. We did manage a few pictures together. Below is one where we are joined by the one and only Samantha Sito, television host on Vancity Pulse and fashion blogger at Samantha S. Samantha is one of those people I truly love to run into. She always has a warm smile, a great hug to share and a positive attitude.  Just a total breath of fresh air.
Image by Kuna Photography
With a whopping 11 shows planned, the evening again offered a real challenge in who to cover as my limit is four. In the end I selected the first two of the evening and the last two. There were several others that would have been great to include, but I am hoping other writers will give them press. Be sure to visit the Vancouver Fashion Week website to see who else was on the runway this evening.

Dong De Xi -

Images by Peter Jensen Photography













Dong De Xi was first down the runway, opening the night with an ultra feminine selection of dresses and separates. I've said it before - I'm just not a girlie girl. But I found myself truly charmed by the soft, delicate, sensual creations. My favourite pieces were those in all white where the interest came from detailing and multiple layers, but did love the look above 2nd from left. Here a blue print peeks through a layer of almost invisible white. At first I thought the models were wearing anklets, but they were sheer white spats that tied at the back of the ankle. There were also softly ruffled neck pieces accenting a few garments. The simple styling in hair and makeup along with the feminine fabric accessories proved the perfect compliment to this collection. I did a massive search looking for more information on this designer and couldn't find anything, so will add more if it becomes available.

Aloysius Liew -

Images by Peter Jensen Photography













One of the strong collections this evening was WHATIF by Central Saint Martins graduate Aloysius Liew (Singapore) and I was delighted to meet this talented designer later in the evening when he was on the runway mingling. Titled The Perimeter, the looks were clean and classy, but there was a twist to the silhouettes with lines taking unexpected turns. One blouse in a darker colour had a unique origami-like fabric detail in front that only really popped when the light caught it. A great understated note of surprise. Asymmetrical leg pants have been making an appearance recently. His offering was unique in that the fuller leg was actually attached to the slim leg. A little harder to walk in perhaps, but I preferred this to the others I have seen. The basic palette and styling let the beautiful shapes take centre stage and there were several I would like to have in my closet. Love this quote from his look book, "WHATIF generates alternative & novel designs that redefines the modern edgy individual. Discovering undiscovered ideas to create individuals out of individuals...Depending on the journey of a line, a shape is defined when its ends meet. 'The Perimeter is' is a collection that experiments with just the use of lines that upon joining the two ends, creates shapes or patterns that exhibits fluid geometries."

Images by Peter Jensen Photography

Veejay Floresca -
I wrote up this talented Phillipine designer's runway show last season featuring beautifully tailored women's wear - VFW F/W13 Day 3, so imagine my delight to learn this artist would be showing an exquisite line of bridal fashions today. The line-up of gowns was perfectly planned. The first few looks were more classic and that slowly built until the final dramatic ethereal creations with flowing skirts floating regally down the runway left the audience speechless. I loved the mix of silhouettes from figure hugging, to a-line to those with beautifully textured floating skirts, and glittery sequins to more elegant and understated. The technical skill shown is well-earned as Floresco didn't just study fashion design, but has earned a Masters in Fashion from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, international recognition through numerous awards received from around the globe and a place in the finals on Project Runway Philippines. Veejay Floresca is a superstar and I felt very privileged to be able to come backstage and to say congrats after the show.  Kudos to a job well done and I will have my eye on you!



Images by Peter Jensen Photography
Noe Bernacelli -
Peruvian born designer Noe Bernacelli began a love affair with art at the tender age of 14 that lead him to study at the Carlo Esciccoli Fashion Design Institute in Milan. He returned to Peru a six years ago, but the influence of Italy is still apparent. The last show of the evening really put an exclamation point on the day. This designer looks to create garments with versatility combined with femininity, elegance and personality. I think he hit the nail on the head. Love this quote from his interview in The Province with Mark Abbott, "Everything is constantly changing in the world of fashion, which is quite the adrenaline rush...When it is time to create a new collection, I disconnect myself from the rest of the world and I plan a trip for inspiration [this year a trip to the remote city of Mancora]...Haute couture is pure art translated into clothing. It involves the capacity of evoking feelings, sensations and more.”  This was actually two shows in one, so I have included five images from each section.  First we saw pret-a-porter garments that any woman would be happy to have in her closet. This was followed by an incredibly beautiful selection of sheer gowns that left me speechless. It was a privilege to view this show and I can only hope to be there when Noe Bernacelli shows his next collection.

Some images I snapped of the wonderful volunteers that make my experience so GREAT!! Hoping to add audience candids as they become available.


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