LGFW Oct 2010 for Spring/Summer 2011 Collections

This week was my 2nd LGFW up to date. I wonder why I never attended fashion weeks in past years. I've always been fashionable/ fashion-minded, but I've always just read fashion mag & fashion shows online & on tv only. Strangely it never occured to me before to attend a real life fashion show & now I'm attending plenty to make up all the years of missed show, lol! Second time around and I'm already used to the flow of everything especially having attended FAT & other things this year. This time it was held at Heritage Court at the Ex. It's a slightly larger building than last time. They had more seats & the runway was slightly bigger/longer. There's many improvements of course, not that anything was bad last season. There's always room for improvement. The fact that there's more seats means that less people have to stand for the bigger shows. But there's probably more people attending each season as it grows. But still there were things that I liked about last time that got changed. There is only 1 ladies & men's washroom this time.

The volunteer uniforms got changed from the stylish blouse top to a white tshirt. But I'm sure the volunteers don't mind too much as they are having fun. I chatted with different people from bloggers, photographers, people working there & volunteers just to get people's perspective about things on fashion week such as how much fun they're having.

I didn't go to all the shows, not even most or half. I didn't attend Day1 because I wasn't in LGFW mode yet so I missed the Holt Renfrew show. Some one told me I missed the Holts bag full of goodies, but oh well I was actually tired & enjoying a sashimi bento box dinner.....I always have sushi cravings, it's a weakness of mine. I attended more than half of Day2 shows, last 2 of day3, half of Day4 & today Day5 I decided to stay home & rest.

I met Amanda Hunes from HeartlessInk at the OR: Angela Chen fashion show, Colleen from ClothesLineFinds while having coffee and Jay Strut from SatisFashion while lining up to get into the Romona Keveza fashion show. Last season I didn't talk to many people. I only remembering meeting the girl from StyleMounties whose name I think is Mariya. I also met fashion photographer Justin Wu in real life after I added him from a facebook suggestion several months ago. He resides in Paris and just happened to be in town during LGFW, lol.

As for swag, I got a great bottle of Loreal: Elnett Satin Hairspray & a couple of delicious Nescafe Dolce Gusto samples which I'm saving to use when I get the coffee machine. Well I really could have gotten some other really cool stuff if I really wanted to, if I went to the early shows, but I didn't make a big enough effort I guess. So I'll try that next year. hehehe! Actually, I almost got a big bag of goodies at the OR Angela Chen show as I was sitting in the front row for one of the shows, but the people behind grabbed mine as I was about to sit down. Guess I should have said something. But oh well! I was kind of tired that day. A girl who got the goodie bag showed me what was inside which made me sad coz it was all good: 2 iphone4 cases, a book, a bottle of fuze, etc... sniff! But it was a very good fashion show, so I didn't mind too too much. sniff! I heard that last season's Angela Chen ORANGE show was very good & also had a very good gift bag. But I happened to be 15 min late for it although I rsvp'd & couldn't get in. The purpose being there is to enjoy the fashion shows, meet people and learn new things about fashion. Everything else is just the icing on the cake or sprinkles. Oh yeah, Ken gave me a 'token of love' the pink heart lightup Barbie pin/brooch which they gave out at the last fashion week but I didn't get one until now, so that made me really happy to finally get one to play with, lol. Oh yeah, free foto with Ken but you had to bring your own camera. But at the Rowenta & Skintimate booths, they had their own professional camera & photographer which they upload to facebook or email it to you & you could enter a contest for a prize.

Hey did I mention that Nescafe Dolce Gusto offered free drinks, mostly coffee? But there was also hot chocolate & icetea. There was also a cash bar of course. The VIP lounge also had a cash bar, nope it wasn't openbar/free just in case you were wondering. Hey they actually persuaded me to want to buy the coffee machine. I haven't bought it yet, but soon. I'm craving it right now. That machine rocks! It's not just any simple coffee machine. It makes perfect smooth foamy cappuccino & other coffees/drinks. Even the icetea is so foamy/creamy looking that you think it contains milk when it doesn't.

I got my makeup done by Loreal & yes it was free! On the first day I was there I got my makeup done by them. On the second day I didn't get anything done and then on the third day I got both makeup and hair done by the Loreal team. I overheard that they were having an afterparty just for the Loreal makeup artists & hair stylists, lol. They only work for Loreal during fashion week twice per year & for the rest of the time they work at a spa/salon or independently.

Last LGFW when I was waiting in line to get my makeup done, I met Pat McDonagh. I had no idea who she was as it was my first fashion week and I was pretty clueless about the local fashion industry. She was right in front of me so I kinda watched her get made up. I thought maybe she was a model since she is quite tall. She talked to me a little bit & that's when I found out that she's a designer because she said that some stuff she wanted to show in Toronto had been sent to Moscow by accident. After she left, the makeup artist told me who she was & then when I went home I googled her. LoL! So now I guess she is one of my favourite designers just because I met her in person. Hey, why not? I did take a look at her stuff online & it does seem to fit my own personal style. She asked me if I had a business card, & unfortunately I haven't printed any new ones yet & had none on me. Dough! Someday, one day when I see her again, I'll make sure I have one. NOTE TO SELF: print more business cards asap, lol!

Oh, I also happened to have seen Jian Ghomeshi right after the Joe Fresh show with his girlfriend as they were leaving. I forgot to say "hi" to his gf too so I hope she didn't feel like I was ignoring her. All I said was "hi & what's up Jian?" Well, I attended his interview thing at Ryerson a week or two before too, but didn't really get to talk to him or anything then. When I see him next time I'll have a little more to say. I forgot to ask him how he enjoyed the show & what shows he saw, etc... Well I didn't want to bug him too much either. I felt kinda bad that I was talking to him & forgot to say hi to his gf. It's kinda hard when you see someone you didn't expect to see & want to talk to them & can't think of what else to say. haha. Yeah his gf was quite pretty too. Ok, if he ever reads this I'm doomed, lol. I still haven't uploaded the photos & videos from his Ryerson talk/interview thing because I still need to get back my camera memory from someone. I hope that I can get it back & not lose all the footage. That would be horrible. My previous LGFW footage was on it too, & that's why I wasn't able to blog or post the fotos.

I didn't have any other celeb sightings unless I did see ones that I don't recognize/know of. It's good that way coz then you won't feel intimidated when you do meet someone famous if you don't know who they are yet & then you can talk to them normally w/o feeling awkward. Yes it would suck to be too nervous & then you can't have a genuine conversation with them & get to know the person. But then it all comes with practice. If you've never met a celeb in your life, it's easy to feel intimidated. But if you are used to seeing them, then it's a lot easier. But famous or not famous it's very nice to meet new people. I like to talk to everybody who's friendly, but not scary, lol. But eventually I'll need to know who's who if I want to continue working in the fashion industry here.

As for the fashion shows, ok ok no more space here. I'll have to put them in further posts. So stay tuned for more to come!

P.S. I really admire the MEDIA group camping out in the little cube box section where they eat, drink, have their cameras & laptops. They don't really go outside as they have to save their beautiful spot for taking the best shots & they have to get someone to save their spot when going to the WC in b/w shows. I know I could do that too if I had to, but since I don't I'm glad to have a nice comfy chair. Maybe if I take of Photography professionally. Some of them are from BlogTO, TheStar, etc... & many are Freelancers who submit their stuff to different mediums. Oh wait, they do have chairs the photogs & videographers. Most of them have those cool little plastic foldable chairs which I think is cool to have. But I think for those Media guys & gals, they get the most satisfaction when they get to see their hard work published. Hey it's cozy & most of them recognize one another anyway from previous seasons. It's a pretty big group of them! At least someone offered them bottled water b/c they can't go out to get free coffee outside. Well they could if they really need if they get someone to save their spot, but they can only do that once or twice throughout the day.

FFW Cheap is the New Chic: Design Contest Final at Nywood

THE 3 DESIGNERS WITH THEIR BEST DESIGNED OUTFIT

THE 3 JUDGES

THE CROWD

Cheap is the New Chic is a contest where the three designers battled against one another in the finals of the design contest. Three judges was to vote the best collecting for recycled clothing that the contestants got from Goodwill. They were to vote on who had the best designs overall and who made the best use of old/used clothing also.

The first contestant Erin Summer had a nice 70's retro edge to her designs. I liked it a little bit, but it wasn't enough to wow me. The second contestant Mady Bone is from Vancouver. She had some really pretty, girly, elegant designs which I really liked and I actually thought that she was going to win. However, when I saw the third contestant Devlyn Van Loon's collection I changed my mind, but it was a close one. What really made her a big winner is that she wasn't afraid to use a bunch of colours especially the bright ones. More importantly she really made use with what she got from Goodwill, whereas Mady Bone had used some old curtains/tablecloths that she got from Goodwill. I think that was a minus because she had more room/fabric to work with from curtains/drapes & tablecloths. Van Loon had to make sure that the was enough fabric from the old pieces to turn them into the new pieces and not waste anything. She made drastic changes from what they were and what she turned them into.

At the end Devlyn Wan Loon won according to the judges and the audience's vote. She had my vote too. Surprisingly, she is a newby to designing. That was her very first collection!

David Dixon Fashion Show at Ultra

ME & THE BARTENDER

Last night was the David Dixon fashion show at Ultra Patio. It was also a party to celebrate the launch of the "Industry Insider Magazine."

The show started with the special guest performance by ROCHESTER AKA JUICE singing some rap by himself, and then the models came on to the catwalk one by one in dazzling pieces. He sang throughout the entire fashion show as the background music for the fashion.

The dresses were mostly covered in black. They were very chic/hip/glamorous. It is the only DD designs I've seen so far in addition to the Barbie Collection at LGFW back in March. I especially liked the dress with the pockets. It looked really cool with the model comming out with her hands in the pockets of the dress. I think the pieces shown last night are probably a part of the collection he will be showing at a fashion week next season. I hope the models didn't feel too hot literally in the dresses as it was a lot of fabric for the hot summer weather.

There was a lot of people, but I still managed to get a pretty good view standing right in front of the catwalk and a little to the right side.

There were many fashion industry people of course. I recognized a few faces; a few photographers and a model or two. I recognized the girl with the cool mohawk hair whom I remember from FAT Alternative Fashion Week, but I didn't talk to her. I didn't talk to many people actually. I kinda just relaxed a bit. Other times I think I talk to much and kinda scare people, haha! I most talked to the photographers, especially the girl whom I met at LGFW. It was interesting to find out what they planned to do with their footage and where to submit them, etc...

There was a guy whom I thought I recognized. I thought he was the guy who did my hair a few days ago at the other party I attended. It was quite funny. Then he told me he designs handbags, etc... I thought he was joking coz I seriously thought he was the hair stylist guy. Good thing I asked him what his brand's name is. When I went home I kinda googled it and seems pretty cool. So I think I learned something. Check out Nella Bella. I think it's very cool that all the products are manmade and vegan. How SeXy is that?? & it's Canadian/he's Canadian.

As for the designer himself, I think I probably saw him but didn't know it. I was standing across from him at a viewable distance, but I didn't notice where he was standing until I later saw someone post a photo of him at the event.

My Fuze martini was half spilt coz some random guy bumped right into me & it got all over my shirt & skirt, sigh! He just said a very quick sorry, then turned around & left. People should watch where they are going and not be so pushy. I hate it when people don't watch where they are going especially if they walk backwards. Obviously they can't see where they are going when walking backwards unless they have eyes on the back of their head. This time I tried the pommergranate one with vodka this time. I've drank Fuze juice & Fuze martinis several times before. You can get the Fuze juice at the supermarket or even Shopper's Drugmart, & maybe Walmart. It's a natural health product because it contains some ingredients that are good for you; Chromium, Vitamin C, Garcina Cambogia Rind Extract, etc... It also helps increase your metabolism.

Flirty Girl's Night Out-A Pink Carpet Soiree

It was Flirty Girl Fitness' 4th Flirty Girl Night Out party although they had other similar, but slightly smaller scaled parties which I think were co-ed. It was my 2nd time attending Flirty Girls Nite Out. I think they have one of these about every four months now. The general price went up by a tiny bit ($5 more from last time). That's quite expensive to pay at the door which is $10 more than buying the ticket online prior. I suppose it was to offset some extra costs somwhere, maybe to provide more giftbags. I did notice some slight improvements such as having more appetizers. They had meatballs and cream chese on bread and some other stuff. Previously I think they only had crackers with dip. The food was sponsored, and the male servers are from Eligible Inc. which is a dating service. Actually there was slightly more swag in the giftbag this time too. However, if the price goes up again next time, that would really suck so they'd better not. But having attended twice and also some other similar events, I might not attend next time unless I can get a free tix. haha! I'm just saying that right now since I've attended two recently. But then a few months from now I'll probably be bored and want some more pampering, lol. It all depends if I'll be free on the next date. Maybe I'll sign up for some classes, get a punch card for several dropin classes for yoga, boxing, belly dancing, etc... just to get 2 free party tix offer. I always wanted to take some classes there, but somehow never got around to it yet. Hopefully I will soon.

The thing is, I really wished they had makeover services that would last past the night like brow shaping services eg. waxing, threading or tweezing. Manicures are okay, but how about pedicures? They definitely should have mini facials and a digital photo booth where you can take & upload a foto of your new makeover. So if you forget your camera and don't go to the afterparty, at least you'd have a good reason to get all madeup for. To offset more costs they could let in a few more vendors too. But then it does seem a little crowded already. Just some suggestions in my opinion.

Last time I was there I arrived late & didn't get any pampering after waiting in line for several hours, but I did sip a few drinks, watched a few performances and chatted with some fab girls and the swag bag at the end kinda made up for it so I didn't complain. This time I was smarter and I lined up right when the whole thing started. Well, I was late 10 minutes to lineup for the pampering because I was walking around and talking to people and went to the toilet. So I ended up getting my nails filed & coloured by Spa Treatment, a nice quick hair updo by Blo, and an eye makeup application by Sephora, etc... I had wanted some sexy curls, but the guy from Blo wanted to do something else so I let him.

I didn't really watch much of the dance shows, but they were amazing of course, especially the one to the "All The Single Ladies" Beyonce song towards the end. I missed watching the fashion show in full view because I was lining up. All I saw were the heads of the models, but I saw all the photos after. I did see more of the dancing as there were slightly less people crowding around the performance area. The fashion show was 3/4ths to the end of the party and many people were tired of lining up and fled the lines to see the fashion show.

The fashion show was by Joy Couture & United Front. It was my first time hearing about United Front, but I've been to several of Joy's fashion shows before & she always have nice stuff. I love her dresses. United Front displayed some tshirts which had nice/cool logos but it'd be more interesting if they did something with the fabric. It looked a bit too simple. The fashion show was a bit short, but it's always like that b/c it's just a small part of the whole event. But overall the show was ok.

I think that this time it was organized a bit better than last time as they had guys handing out drinks while we were lining up for the pampering. Last time we had to get the drinks ourselves at the bar and we had to lineup for that too. So what some of us girls did was send a girl to grab a few drinks back and then got back into line. Complimentary drinks are always good because you don't want to spend a fortune when you get thirsty especially when you already have to pay an entry fee to get in.

The hand/arm massage from Arbon was a bit short because you had to choose between getting your hands done or your arms, but not both. I think they did that to save time and be more fair to let more girls get their turn. But I really liked the gel they used on my hands. I don't know what was in it, but it smelled really good. I think Aveda was there to do arm treatments too, but I didn't get to check that out. It was so little time, too many people. Pink Petals jewelry was there as a vendor. They have some nice stuff too and I see them at almost every event I go to.

The Sephora line was very long and I didn't think I would make it to the front by the end of the event, but luckily I did and got my eyes madeup. They didn't do a full makeup application probably to save time also. Last time they did do full makeup applications by some other company which I can't remember since it was several months ago. Well I think it's better to be fair and let more people get a turn to get pampered.

All that pampering only lasts one night. The manicure may last a few days more. But it still feels good to get pampered and it was good being surrounded by other fabulous girls as well. There was an afterparty at a nightclub near by. This time it was at Dolce Social Ballroom & last time at Century Room. I skipped the afterparty and headed to another club Tryst where the Playboy Golf Casting was held, but I didn't stay long and went home to get some beauty sleep.

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Frugal Fashion Week 2010

FFW 2010 is comming up next weekend from Thurs July 22-Sun July 25.

Save with Frugal Fashion Week with My FFW 2010 All Access Pass which is now only $35, down from $55 previously! The Special Gala held at the Bata Shoe Museum is already $25, so you'll save a great deal. Sale of the pass ends on July 22 which is the openning day of FFW.

This is still a relatively new event as this is only in its second year thus far. So bring your friends, especially the gal pals for the first pampering event at Kiehl's and help spread the word of Frugal Fabulousness! Get pampered, sip, shop and relax while watching a few fashion shows. I think that this festival will gain more popularity each year as more people learn about it. It is mid summer when many people are on vacation and out of town too, but I think it's great to have FFW during the summer since there doesn't seem to be as many major fashion related events at this time, although there are always mini fashion shows happenning all the time.

The openning event will be The Kiehl's Uptown Beauty Boutique launch party which is to be held at Kiehl's at Yonge & Eglinton (not the one on Spadina & Queen St.). At the event, you'll get mini facials, makeovers, beauty advice, cupcakes and giftbags courtesy of Kiehl's and Teatinis by David's Tea!

I'll post some fotos of the events later after I've attended them all.