Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017 At Vancouver Fashion Week/Spring/Summer

This season, I took a number of talented Vancouver Community College Fashion Design Students, to each night, to illustrate their favorite looks. James Jurome chose one by Evan Clayton and one by LaSalle International College, Vancouver Student, Jongwon Lee. Here are James' impressions.

LaSalle Students outdid themselves, in my view, this season. In keeping with the theme of Canada's 150th, they celebrated the work of The Group of Seven and all of the pieces were illuminated by a backdrop of the Student's choice of Artist, and the Artist's painting. So the gorgeous Canadian landscapes were very evident in each collection. Wearable Art at its best! Congratulations, LaSalle International, Vancouver. I bow! I also thank you for the invitation to attend.

Marilyn R. Wilson, Fashion Media Maven and Author

(Life Outside The Box) met the illustrators (James Jurome here) 

and will see their Grad Show, this Spring.

Evan Clayton always brings energy, color, creativity and wake up to 

every runway. This one saw brilliant colours: yellows, blues, 

oranges, caught my eye, and a diverse range of looks from 

street wear, to show girl, all intricately constructed and ready to 

make a statement. Evan leaves the excitement behind him and 

exits with his classic leather black jacket and jeans. But, with that 

hat and those glasses, you know that more is yet to come, much more!

Loved the black, embellished look by Marilyn Yeo. 

Muli-layered and multipurpose. Elegance, here.

Reclamation is a showcasing of vintage lace and tulle, 

repurposed into a dance of pattern and light.

Monica Xerrano's wide legged pant and two toned silky blouse were 

beautifully accessorized by hat and bag. The fit, the lines and the 

use of color - fantastic.

I wore BCBG, a cage skirt in muted blues, purples, a silk 

blouse to match (@BWSS My Sister's Closet) a vintage kimono and 

Kate Spade Shoes. Ever inspired by vintage, thrift, culture and clothing as Art!

Vancouver Fashion Week - Wednesday Sept 20th -VCC Leads the Way

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas
Photos by Dianna Drahanchuk and Colleen Tsoukalas

Vancouver Community College Fashion Designers are always well prepared and were first up to grace the runway with their well executed construction and creative vision. Loved the bold graphics, men's wear line and bishop sleeves, (Ryan) Elam's couture line is stunning, especially the grey vest and long pleated skirt, embellished pockets, the backpack, the materials, exquisite. Angela, your hand painted designs, the flowers, just an amazing eyeful in motion. Funeral Rehearsal, moody and dark, dirge music, unique jewellery, and a variety of different lengths, hems, sleeves and hoods. Reckless Last Days, again another catchy title: a nod to warmer weather, lovely white cover up jacket - lingerie to sports and sports to lingerie. MinYi Li, I liked the bows, especially on the sleeves. Selena, oh those back and white graphics, skirt/ pants with side slits, and, of course the dress for me, all drama and feathers. Ilin, embroidery, especially the one sleeved look, and the coat, a must for Fall/Winter. Goodbye Icelander, wonderful men's wear: embellished jacket, impeccably tailored white shirt, with pleated cuffs, Yu-Ting Yeh. Truly the feminine in the masculine line. A few impressions in a world of style that passed by so quickly. Congratulations all! Here are the photos that tell the real story.

Before the show: Gordon Tran, me, Yu Ting Yeh, and Ryan Manahan 

Ryan's designs

Vancouver Fashion Week Founder and Producer Jamal Abdourahman front row

Wearing our colors!

Kathryn Potter Hammerton sketches

Kathryn Potter Hammerton

Marilyn and Kathryn

Vancouver Fashion Week Gala: Monday, September 18, 2017

Photos and writing by Colleen Tsoukalas

Great to get to the VFW Gala to see Fashion Award Winners, to hear the Proclamation from the City of Vancouver, declaring September 18-24th as official Fashion Week, to catch a glimpse of styles to hit the runway during the week and to reconnect with fellow fashionistas, writers, photographers, student designers and many more. Always fun to see the illuminated event letters at the entrance to the Chinese Cultural Centre and get a few photos of your outfit, too. I wore a Chanel jacket, silver dress, Kate Spade shoes, clutch from my favourite thrift, My Sister's Closet and a Carolyn Bruce necklace. I could see in the long line up, blazes of color, color, color, a last look back at summer, and, perhaps a denial of the blacks and greys of Fall.

Award winners: Retail - Wendy de Kruyff, Dream Apparel

Teacher - Peggy Morrison - Blanche MacDonald School

Stylist - Diane Gagne Pacey - Holt Renfrew

Journalist - Janet Smith (Georgia Straight)

Photographer - David Fierro

Designer - Rozemerie Cuevas

Special Recognition - Chip Wilson Lululemon Inc. (and more)

Special Recognition - City Hall Fashion Advocate - Andrea Reimer, Councillor

An exciting Preview of 16 Designers followed the awards. Charley Thorn, Aiki District and Nozomi Kuwahara showed entire collections following the Preview. A complete list of designer profiles can be found at VFW website here.

Fascinated by the illustration process, I was accompanied by VCC Student Designer and Illustrator for the evening, Emmalyn McKenna, who is also a guest writer for the blog. Her impressions here.

In good company in the stands with FESVEDY and on the floor with Sam Stringer (Embers and Ashes)

A packed house and a vibrant promise for the week to come. Ever onward VFW!

Here's a snapshot of a fantastic Gala. Thanks to Nahla Hopfe for the invitation, fashion observations and for her photos of us on Facebook.

Nico Gruzling Illustrates Mezis and Sam Stringer at VFW, September 23

Illustrations and writing by Nico Gruzling

Mezis showed a wide variety of professional clothes for women, starting with white lace dresses and white suits, and ending with lovely green and yellow printed dresses. The dress that I fell in love with was a clean, white shift with beautiful cape sleeves.

Sam Stringer’s gorgeous gowns combine old school glamour with an edge. Her models feel more warrior than princess; perfect gowns for our modern world. I love the graphic colour block on this purple and silver bodice, perfectly accentuated with the sheer purple overlay.

Thank you to Sam Stringer for adding us to the guest list!

Paulina Romo Illustrates ChenxChen at VFW, September 22

Illustrations and writing by Paulina Romo

As an international (Mexican) Vancouver Community College student, I find myself having new adventures in Vancouver every day. I am perfecting a new language, taking on new challenges, and designing, designing, designing!

From the moment I walked into VFW, I immediately felt the excitement in the building. I couldn't wait to sketch this fantastic designer, Chen x Chen by Chenchen Cecilia Xiao. The cohesiveness of the collection, the neutral colors, the elegant cuts, and its sleek lines make these clothes flattering for all. Every garment looked beautiful!

I loved all the outfits, and chose these to sketch. Thank you Chenchen Cecilia Xiao for having us!

James Jurome Illustrates and Recaps Evan Clayton and LaSalle's Jongwon Lee at VFW

Written and Illustrated by James Jurome

Evan Clayton

Evan Clayton is a Vancouver-based designer. The VFW presentation on September 21, 2017 was his 10th collection Evan Clayton is a fashion designer who strives to marry art and fashion in such a way as to create political, personal and artistic expression.

Evan Clayton opened the Vancouver Fashion Week Thursday lineup with high energy show full of young fresh silhouettes. Evan has a clear direction and I like his use of primary colours. The bra with the futuristic Harem type pants was a stand out look for me. I loved the way it moved on the runway and it seemed very wearable as well. Another highlight of the show for me was his show of skin and chaps. I haven't really seen female models wearing this look so it was a nice surprise, and I loved how he mixed up that harder edge with some soft flirty romantic looks. The close out performance was really fun and I really liked the yellow girl, who wore an amazing bomber jacket.

LaSalle Designer Jongwon "Danny" Lee

Jongwon "Danny" Lee chose a painting from the Group  of Seven as inspiration. The blue of this coat was exactly like the blue of the painting. It was magical!

Marilyn R. Wilson and James Jurome