I had the opportunity to attend most of Vancouver Fashion Week and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Tho, my expectations were pretty low. Leading up to the date, the event was extremely disorganized and most of the planning was held to the last minute. I actually believed that the entire event would be cancelled. At times, I forget that this is Vancouver’s 8th year doing a fashion week. you think after doing this for almost a decade, the production timeline would run a little ahead of schedule. Why no big sponsor? Toronto has L’oreal; New York, Miami, and LA have Mercedez-Benz. Why isn’t Vancouver lucrative enough for a sponsor to help the city out? Does Vancouver have a niche? What’s the Vancouver fashion scene? Raised in Vancouver, I still haven’t figured it out. And maybe the west coast fashion scene will always stuggle, since most love the comfort of Lululemon?
Vancouver Fashion Week started with an opening gala at Birks (on West Hastings). Great location for an event. But, what does a Gala mean? Is wearing jeans, ok? when i think gala, i think stilettos, fancy dresses and suits. I saw a few dresses, mostly hoo chee mamma clubbing wear, and jean-casual. OK, if we were in Toronto, there would never be a confusion about what to wear at a gala. Nonetheless, Mayor Sam Sullivan was there for the ribbon cutting ceremony, and declared the start of Vancouver Fashion Week. (And he was dressed appropriately, in his suit).
Tara Parker Tait, co-founder of VitaminV.ca and Steven Schelling, Fashion Editor of WestEnder, did a fabulous job of hosting the event. Message to Birks, thanks for the crappy gift bag for guests. I mean, putting your catalogue in a gift bag, is cheap. Not to mention a huge paper waste. If you have nothing to offer your guests, then don’t try, because that’s insulting.
