Home FASHION RUNWAY REVIEW: CONNALLY MCDOUGALL SPRING/SUMMER 2015 @ VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

REVIEW: CONNALLY MCDOUGALL SPRING/SUMMER 2015 @ VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

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Preparing for a fashion show requires many sequential steps. The most important of all is having a functioning sewing machine, which Connally McDougall admits was extremely difficult to maintain over the past few months. “It broke down seven times,” she confesses, which forced her into becoming a master hand seamstress. During those hours upon hours of work, she thought of her three main inspirations behind the Spring/Summer 2015 collection, aptly named “Running Through Thunder.”

“I spent a lot of time alone in my flat and watched the movie ‘Out of Africa’ over and over again (it’s my favourite) and completely fell in love with the scenery, costumes, story and Meryl Streep. Aesthetically, the colours and textures came from the film. Secondly, I imagined the silhouettes and movement when I got caught in a terrible thunderstorm, lost in Hyde Park and dusk was encroaching on the daylight. I found myself running around, my clothes soaked and flapping about my body and trying to see the positive in the scary, uncomfortable position. Lastly, on a metaphorical level, I essentially make clothes for women with real bodies, real passions and real lives. Juggling feminine charm with masculine confidence and a thousand different roles, the image of running, all the while thunder clapping around you seems fitting for the modern international woman.”

The Vancouver Fashion Week tent was packed for her show on Sunday night, and after presenting her first collection last season as the recipient of Niche Magazine’s Emerging Designer sponsorship, I could understand why. Her models floated down the runway, backed by a surreal picture of a South African desert landscape. I especially loved the intricate beading that was sewn onto several pieces, as well as her accessories, which complemented each look nicely. Each model was styled with a faux-bob hairstyle and an orange-red lip. McDougall strongly believes that “fashion cannot be excellent without being stunningly beautiful, well-made, ethically responsible and ecologically sound.”

 

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