By Ivana Markotic

Aiming to make it to Fashion Week headquarters by 6p.m. for the Gotstyle Menswear Collection, a combination of rain, a broken streetcar and soaked suede boots were forces against yours truly.

Even with my delays, the fashion shows were all at least half an hour late. But just my luck, I still managed to miss the male model eye-candy of Gotstyle. My disappointment was quickly diverted when the Lucian Matis show began.

The whimsical sounds of the merry-go-round revved up to a crescendo when the first model strutted out in jeweled bondage-style headgear. Matis stuck to silks with a neutral colour pallet that is very Stella McCartney. Although the silk cuts were simple, Matis’ attention to detail and subtle jeweled sleeves made it high fashion. The silk powder blue dress worn by the wrong person could easily be mistaken for a nightgown. We’ve seen through the whole week a focus on only one covered shoulder, and Matis’ collection included one-shouldered dresses as well. Through the entire show, Robin Kay was smiling and when Matis came out at the end, she encouraged him to walk to the end of the catwalk to an audience that included MTV VJs Jessi Cruickshank and Nicole Holness and Flare’s Editor-In-Chief Lisa Tant.

Next, the Pat McDonagh collection, brought to you by Baskin Robbins! The audience was fed a Baskin Robbins commercial just before the show began. Inspiration? Perhaps, but feels more like a sponsorship. The first looks were finely seamed dresses in a dark chocolate hue, topped with beige fedoras. As the music changed, so did the colour scheme. The next set of looks were fit for Marie Antoinette as dresses came out in white, pink, baby blue and a red army jacket fit for the French Revolution. The grand finale was a gorgeous wedding dress that was a fit corset at the top and poofed out at waist with some layers pinned. I guess I learned you can have your cake, and wear it too.

With an over-an-hour-late start and a pushing frenzy to get in under a leaking roof (this was held in a tent, after all, and there was a storm outside) the Dare to Wear Love show began. Speeches were given by Robyn Kay and Stephen Lewis of the Stephen Lewis Foundation for raising awareness and funds for orphans affected by AIDS. The designers were challenged to take six metres of African fabric and create a clothing item. Dresses, suit jackets and skirts and even coats were all created and presented on models and local T.V. celebrities Jessi Cruickshank and Traci Melchor.

By the end of the night, the fashion environment included K-OS by the bar and a plethora of female and male models. The article stops here, because at this point I spotted a lonely male model that looked like he needed some company.