OAKRIDGE Fall 2008 Fashion Show – Review

Oakridge Fashion Show Runway

Photographs by Grace Lau Photography.

The Oakridge Centre Fall 2008 Fashion Show “Front Row” (presented with FASHION Magazine) started off with an hour of mingling with hor d’oeuvres catered by The Lazy Gourmet.

Shortly after 8pm, Susie Wall from CTV’s “eTalk Daily” gave a brief introduction of the runway show and praised the charitable efforts of Oakridge Centre – with refreshments and raffle ticket prizes in support of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. And great prizes they were, as the Oakridge retail community collaborated in the name of charity: from a “priceless” Trevor Linden Signed Canuck Jersey to gift cards from Marciano, Hugo Boss and Aritzia (to name a few).

Susie Wall

As the models posed in trios before disappearing backstage at the end of their catwalk strut, the crowd truly had an opportunity to digest the trends of the upcoming season. According to my observations, from trench coats and jackets to winter dresses and dress shirts, solid hues of dark colors dominated the runway – in both men’s and women’s wear. It was the subtle details which set the pieces apart from each other – the speckles on a formal jacket from Aritzia or the thin stripes on a Jacob dress shirt.

Hugo Boss

These darks colors are a sign of summer truly being over…until a trio of models wearing Swimco Swimwear appeared on the runway! If you are intending to take a tropical vacation this season, you can take your pick of two-piece swimwear, in red or yellow and splashed with tasteful polka dots or a plain white bikini paired with a wide-brim straw hat. Another colorful surprise came from Tru Drama with silky handkerchief inspired tops and dresses.

Tru Drama

Accessories were also duly noted in the fashion show. I spotted Matt and Nat bags from the Japanese Paper collection, showcasing the selection available from Valise at Oakridge Centre. From Tie Rack, brightly colored pashminas were used to contrast the dominating dark clothing colors. Similarly, pastel patterned leggings by Aritzia added a splash of feminine colors. In terms of jewelry, Blue Ruby displayed gold filigree earrings with a matching pendant necklace.

Aritzia

In light of all these classic clothing pieces and fashion accessories for the working-age crowd, don’t worry – the kids weren’t left out or left behind. As three children, representing Gymboree and Please Mum and clothed in colorful stripes, scampered onto the runway, waving with childlike innocence, cheers of encouragement were heard from the crowd.

All in all, I felt that the pieces chosen for the runway were extremely representative of the featured store’s collection. Several times throughout the fashion show, I could point out exactly which retail outlet the clothing was from: “That’s so classic – it must be from Banana Republic“ or “The casual skater look is very Quiksilver“.

Now I have a sudden urge to go shopping – and for good reason! For those of you who attended the show, don’t forget to redeem your $10 Oakridge voucher, found in your giftbag. Other discounts and goodies included a lipstick from MAC Cosmetics (and a complimentary booking for a makeover), redeemable product samples from H2O, $25 to RK, and more!