Another season of LG Fashion Week has come to an end and we are once again, presenting our readers with our Likes and Dislikes. This was LG Fashion Week’s sophomore season at Heritage Court at Exhibition Place, a location that is quite accessible by public transit. There was also plenty of parking and it was not difficult to get cabs at the end of the evening. As we noted back in October, there is not much to criticize about the location itself. However, the restaurant/snackbar, was once again on the pricey side. Lattes were $5.50 per very small cup. At that price, most people expect either sit-down service or Venti-sized drinks. There was also a lack of vegetarian-friendly items unless one wanted desserts. Not everyone attending Fashion Week wants sugar and carb-filled items – especially media, who are spending the entire day there. For several seasons, the snackbar served both chicken and vegetarian wraps. This time, only chicken was available. Speaking of media, the workspace was absolutely lovely. For the first time, there were proper desks with chairs and enough power bars to plug in computers if we need to. The lack of couches and “relaxing” space was actually a good thing for those who want to get work done quickly before the next show.
LG Fashion Week and the FDCC do a fairly good job to promote accessibility of fashion at each Fashion Week. This time, the M Shop, located at the front entrance of Heritage Court did just that. A few select items from Canadian designers, all with QR codes, allowed individuals to scan the pieces with their phones, taking them to a website to make purchases. This was a great way to promote Canadian designers and their accessibility, since many designers only have stockists in certain regions. However, the lack of colour (the overwhelming majority of pieces were black) may have been a turn-off for some.
Collections-wise, the best ones were those that were not black-dominant. Just because one is looking at cooler weather doesn’t mean that shades have to be dark and dismal. Most outstanding in the colour department was Lundstrom Collection, which had a good selection of winter whites and tans. LOVAS by Wesley Badanjak honoured his mom and aunt, who came to Canada from Croatia in the 1970s. The collection, inspired not only by his ancestral homeland and decade in which his mother and aunt arrived in Canada, also had glimpses of the East Asia as well as the 1940s.
Collections this year were presented in two locations – the main runway as well as “the studio.” Unlike the Spring/Summer studio, which was standing room only in the front area of Heritage Court, this was an actual runway in another room. While this was a good concept as it was a much bigger space, the lack of tiered seating or elevated runway not in the front row to see. In addition, the room was extremely dark, with black curtains and benches making it more difficult for photographers to capture good shots in such a compact space. There was even one instance of photographers wanting the model to move closer to the light so that they could get pictures good enough to send to publications. Considering that dark colours are usually dominant in Fall/Winter collections, it would have been better if the room had white or cream walls or curtains. Darker spaces may work well in a larger room or for a Spring/Summer collection (as bright colours pop well against black). However, white or lighter colours would be more neutral as a backdrop since lighting can be easily adjusted to suit the needs of the designer, regardless of whether it is a Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer collection.
Things to keep for October’s Spring/Summer shows: The media work area for sure. M Shop and anything that promotes and celebrates Canadian designers prominently.
Improvements: Definitely better lighting or a lighter backdrop in the smaller Studio venue (many of the photographs I’ve seen from the studio have been had to be digitally adjusted). A slightly elevated runway of perhaps six or so inches would better help people in back rows see. Food prices cannot be helped – the cost is the cost (as we have realized over the five seasons of covering the shows) – but better vegetarian options – ones that aren’t just cheese and crackers or junk would be good to re-add to the menu (there were vegetarian wraps at previous seasons). Also, we noticed that a few elderly people and people with slight disabilities were forced to sit in regular seats. It would have been nice if volunteers would suggest to people with aisle seats to give it up for them.
