Haus of Hybrid: ottawa

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Ottawa Fashion Week

Friday, February 15, 2013

Last weekend I attended Ottawa Fashion Week. As I explained, from attending the opening party, I was pretty hopeful about what the weekend would hold. And for the most part, I was actually impressed with the production value (and even the clothes). There were a few things that confused me, including an entire Fall/Winter collection of barely there skirts and shirts (but more on that later).

While the event was 3 days (evenings) long, I only attended Saturday night. Friday left me homebound, thanks to some residual effects of Nemo, and quite frankly, having an event from 6pm-10pm (not accounting for the lateness of fashion shows), without open bar or canapés, is a lot to ask. The last thing I want to be doing at a fashion show is during an "intermission" (I was confused too) to be stuffing my face with pizza. What's wrong with going from 1pm-5pm?

Images via Jacob Durjan

But back to the fashion.

Ariel Wu was ok. The clothes aren't my jam. Perhaps that's an unfair judgement, but you can only see so many drop-waist dresses in raspberry, olive, and khaki before you check out. The one highlight from this collection was a cream coloured shirt with a built-in cape. The built-in cape is the thing right now (think Andrea Risborough's chainmail).

Iman was a solid collection, but also not my jam. It was Iman's first time showing and there's a lot of potential there. The collection used a lot of bright jewel tones and was definitely culturally inspired. But it also had a medieval feel to it. Where it fell flat for me was that it used a lot of satin, and lace and sheer overlay.

Jana & Emilia Fashions showed a collection inspired by the First Nations communities. There were some cool pieces, like a yellow jacket with a massive owl appliqué on the back. However, the collection was showing Fall/Winter, and there were a high number of barely-there skirts and fur front-only tops (tied with leather pieces). But aside from that, the outwear was the standout. Well tailored pieces with interesting details on them.

Nyira was my favourite collection of the night. The show opened with a fantastic fuchsia water-colour suit. The same amazing pattern was used as the lapels on a extra-long tuxedo-inspired jacket. The collection was based in black, but there was a lot of gold brocade used too - including a gold jacket. I very rarely attend local fashion shows and want a piece from a collection, let alone the entire collection.

Dare opened their show with an African drum performance. The collection was nice. No hugely standout pieces, but the collection was solid overall. Think jersey dresses: maxi, short, wrap-dresses, with Angelina slits, turtlenecks. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't entirely understand the tie-in with the drummers.

On the whole, I was pleasantly surprised by my whole Ottawa Fashion Week experience.

Ottawa Fashion Week: Opening Party

Friday, February 8, 2013

Earlier this week, I attended the kick-off party for Ottawa Fashion Week.

It's been a long time since I've been the girl at an event who doesn't know a single person. I didn't know what fashion blogs (if there even are any) were popular in Ottawa, who the typical media and event people were, or anything. I went to this party not knowing a single thing about Ottawa Fashion Week, the scene, anything. I think this was actually a good thing...aside from being insanely awkward for most of the evening.

The party venue was only a few blocks from my apartment. It wasn't raining, so the Vancouverite in me wanted to make the most of that (plus taking a cab would've been silly), so I decided to walk. Walking meant that I couldn't wear heels, which was fine, since it was -10 and icy out. Dressed in denim on denim and black boots, I was the most underdressed person by a long shot. There were heels, bare legs, party dresses, the works! I was so underdressed, that my ice-breaker to talk to 2 girls was, "Hey. You guys look as awkward and uncomfortable about being underdressed as I am!" (I'm so charming.) I ended up trying to justify my underdressed-ness as being "Westcoast" - AKA practical. But then I was told (by a CTV reporter and the wife of the OFW Executive Director) that it's GAME ON during Ottawa Fashion Week, and to "have fun with it".

Challenge accepted.

What really surprised me about Ottawa Fashion Week (aside from the fact that it's just a weekend and that I had to pay for a media pass - yes, OFW, I'm judging you. This isn't MBFW) is that it is fully supported by the National Capital Commission, a Crown corporation that promotes the Ottawa region as a source of national pride and significance. The partnership helps promote the arts and culture aspect of fashion, something Vancouver could benefit greatly from.

While the actual fashions have yet to be judged, I can certainly tell you that the professionalism of OFW currently surpasses that of VFW. For OFW, it's not about the press hits, the SEO, or requests of biased blog contributions from bloggers (requests that once you've declined are somehow sent to you again by the same person), it's actually about fashion as a part of art and culture. And while that part differs from the fashion beliefs in the US and Europe, it's at least something that we can take ownership for.

Things Not to Miss About Vancouver

Friday, January 25, 2013

And of course, there are always things that you won't miss about the place you're leaving.

- Translink delays and countless break downs (I will, however, miss their social media presence)
- Grey days when you can't tell the time of day
- The Yaletown scene
- Having so many hills (riding your bike or walking gets so tiring!)
- Vancouver's complete lack of snow preparedness
- Driving along: West Georgia, South Granville, Denman, Broadway, 41st, Robson
- Having simultaneous construction on all major routes from Burnaby to downtown
- Donnelly bars (same bar, different name)
- Always having to carry an umbrella because it could rain at a moment's notice
- Getting bombarded by people handing out the dailies and charity canvassers at/around Burrard Station
- $40 cab rides to Burnaby
- Trying to just find a cab
- Bandwagoners - from the Canucks to the Waldorf, Vancouverites love a cause, even if they have to make one up
- Archaic liquor laws

What are some thing in Vancouver that you wouldn't miss?

Things to Miss About Vancouver

Moving to a new city is, of course, bittersweet. On one hand there are so many new experiences to look forward to, but on the other, there are so many habits, favourites, routines, etc. that are already in place.

Here's a list of just some of the things I'll miss about Vancouver:

- Good gelato
- To Die For Banana Bread
- Specialty places like Bombay Brow Bar, Noir Lash Lounge, and Stripped Wax Bar (come to Ottawa!)
- Bar Method
- Leather jackets in January
- Kafkas coffee
- The ocean
- The cocktail scene
- The brunch scene
- Not really having to worry about massively changing my closet from summer to winter
- Summer default plans - "What do you want to do tonight? Grab gelato and hang out at English Bay? Yep ok."
- Whistler
- Cranberries Spa
- Proximity to the US (particularly for shipping to your US PO box - YOU ALL DO IT!)
- The lemon loaf from Revolver
- Cartems doughnuts
- Patio season
- Holt Renfrew (don't even try to convince me that the one in Ottawa is the same. It's NOT.)
- The Room at The Bay
- Gastown
- Hubbub Sandwiches
- Topshop
- Lululemon Lab
- Walks along the Seawall
- Local blogs like Vancity Buzz and Vancouver is Awesome
- The Board of Trade Co
- All the dive bars/awesome concert venues

What would you miss about Vancouver if you had to leave?

The Party

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

So the cat's out of the bag and you all know I'm leaving.

I got a new job and my start date is January 30 (so soon!). I will be heading out January 27, which leaves me less than 20 days to get my life together. And by "together", I mean in boxes and shipped via Greyhound.

Since I won't have time to see all your wonderful faces before I go, I will be hosting a Goodbye Party in conjunction with my homies at Vancity Buzz at Hubbub!

If you want to spend some one-on-one time, let me know ASAP! I take bribes in the form of: rent money, shoes, jeans, and the entire Spring 2013 collection from Club Monaco.

poster by @sarallin

Come for a drink, come for 6. Just come say hi (or, I guess bye, in this case)!

And yes, I know. Hockey's back that night. Well, you lasted a 100+ day lockout, I'm sure you can miss one more day. Just kidding..?

New Year, New City

The rumours are true!

I'm moving!

To Ottawa! Our fair nation's capital.

I've been waiting rather (im)patiently to share the news with you all. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen some tweets hinting at something changing. I got the news just before Christmas - it really was a Christmas miracle.

Since August, but more so since October, I've been campaigning pretty hard to find a job in Ottawa, and it happened and I couldn't be more stoked. Ottawa's a lovely city, the 4th largest in Canada (immediately following Vancouver), so I'm convinced that I'll like it (start placing your bets).

So, what does that mean for Haus of Hybrid?

Well, expect more diverse content. I'll be posting regular features, so that content will stay the same. Plus I'll be throwing in some stuff from Ottawa to show you all it has to offer. But to cover events in Vancouver, I've asked 3 friends to help me.

Sarah (@sarallin) & Emily (@em_rossco) will be covering events around fashion and general lifestyle.

Mary (@marydotwu) will be covering anything about food.

They're all nice, but most importantly, they're funny. So play nice and follow them on Twitter, ok?

Forward!

Photoblog: Ottawa

Monday, December 31, 2012

As we here in Vancouver bask in the wonderfully wet and mild winter (where my friend recently went golfing), I thought I'd share some over due photos from my most recent(ish) trip to our nation's capital, Ottawa (where they have a ridiculous amount of snow). It's a lovely city with so much more to offer than just Parliament (which is pretty cool). I would recommend visiting before it loses it's charm (and becomes as touristy as Victoria - you know what I'm talking about).