FASHION Reporters
Halifax: Fashion Week, Round Two
When eight strong-jawed men came lumbering down the runway in body-consuming pieces of pleated and stitched vinyl, bold panels of canary yellows and gunmetal greys, and highlights of clear cut-outs and airy silks—the fruits of designer Akshay Tyagi’s (akshaytyagi.com) labour—I knew this city’s latest go at a fashion week wasn’t in vain.
Atlantic Fashion Week, presented by City Models owner Angela Sotiropoulos (atlanticfashionweek.com), ignited with the Emerging Designer Showcase on October 30, a sold-out event that filled the Mercedes Benz dealership with fashion hungry Haligonians, a dozen featured designers, and bottles upon bottles of pink champagne.
I must admit—I sat down with hesitation. The venue looked spectacular, but after last month’s shaky attempt, I was skeptical. But, four models in, one of my evening’s companions is whispering a somewhat facetious “I’m not repulsed” and I’m excitedly sketching the tied back of a grey cinched Sunsets on the Eastside dress and snapping photos like a paparazzo in training.
The designs of Chloe Gordon, a third-year NSCAD student majoring in textiles and fashion, were the next to merit some notepad real estate. Influenced in part by Native American aesthetics, Gordon’s work blended luxurious fabrics with nature motifs, splashing the runway with tweeds, leaves and my favourite piece: a teal skirt suit equipped with tiers of fringe down the racer back vest.
The night’s knock out, though, was inarguably Tyagi, with the packed venue erupting in hoots and cheers as the designers vinyl army slowly marched off the runway. A NSCAD graduate, Tyagi created garments rich with artistic inspiration and the result was an architectural collection that hinted at the otherworldly nature of evocative couture.
And to think, these are just the emerging designers—next up, the AFW Designers Showcase. Stay tuned!
Shown: A look from Akshay Tyagi’s spring collection. Photography by Josh Webb
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