Forget Milan – Ottawa has your fashion fix

Whether they favour American Eagle or Alexander McQueen, vintage or Valentino, functional or frou frou, everyone’s got their own sense of style.

I’ve always thought that you are what you wear — at the very least, your outfit (whether you’re dressed for comfort, to work or to impress) says something about how you’re feeling or who you are that day.

If you fall into the latter category, you probably already know that the second Ottawa Fashion Week kicks off here today.

With Paris and Milan out of reach for many people, the event is Ottawa’s answer to the catwalk, giving local fashionistas their style fix.

Held at the National Arts Centre, the event features a conference and a chance to check out designer showrooms, wrapping up with two days of runway shows Friday and Saturday.

About 5,000 people are expected to attend the runway shows, which will feature 20 designers and have the “same mood as Fashion TV,” said event director Hussein Rashid.

The selection process for the designers was a little tougher this time, he said. After incorporating designers from all over the world in the first show, Rashid decided to bring the second show “back to its Canadian roots.”

But is Ottawa fashion-forward enough to appreciate the high style of the runway? I ask Rashid.

Absolutely, he said.

Many people think Ottawans — with a reputation of being buttoned-up government types — are behind residents of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in terms of fashion, but there is actually a strong fashion sense here, he said.

I look down at my sweater (light wool, some weird foreign brand), khakis (Banana Republic) and walking shoes (Rockport, purchased by my mother). Really?

“Fashion here is much more functional,” he said. “I think that’s because of the government. But there’s also more of a mix. You’ll see a different outfit on everyone. There’s a huge sense of individuality.

“One example is the indie crowd,” he said. “They’re very serious about how they dress.”
University students coming from all over, also bring their fashion ideas to the city, he said.
The city, too, is increasingly being more supportive of fashion, he said.

“There are schools here that support the fashion industry – Richard Robinson, Algonquin,” he said.

That’s what, in part, he was hoping to accomplish when he helped to start Ottawa Fashion Week and when he formed the Ottawa-based Canadian International Modeling Agency, which gives models, talent, art directors, wardrobe designers and a chance to market themselves.

“Most agencies believe that if they went to Paris or Milan or Hong Kong, they’ve made it,” he said. “But I want them to find mainstream work here. We feel there is an opportunity for them here in Ottawa. It’s a matter of finding the venues.”