Anna Kosturova & DC Women

I made my first appearance last night at the Performance Works Theatre on Granville Island, where all the BC Fashion Week shows are taking place. After receiving my invites, and rsvping to the designers, I was looking forward to passing the line and waltzing right in. But of course my name wasn't on the list. I, along with my very patient friend, was told to wait until "everyone else went in" and then they would try to find us a seat. About 20 minutes later, 4 minutes before the show started, we were allowed inside to sit in some no show's seat (to add insult to injury, each seat had a name on it...I was Bill something). I have to say I wasn't too impressed with the organization of it all, I thought it was pretty straightforward to get into these things!

That slight annoyance aside, the first show was from local designer Anna Kosturkova, who specializes in handmade crochet swimwear. Most of the collection featured vibrant colours, with green, pink, yellow and orange featured heavily throughout. This high end beach wear looks like it's made for Caribbean vacations sipping Mai Tai's on the beach...and looking damn good doing it! Especially if you look like these models...they were absolutely stunning! Kosturova even displayed a children's line that was adorable, with kid's size bikinis to match mom. At about 9:30 it was time for the DC women line to take stage for the finale of the day. Again, I wasn't on the list, but a fabulous girl at the door gave me a Media Pass when I told her my story. Loved her! The DC line featured shoes and clothes equally, with a nice pair of kicks to match every outfit. It appears suspenders are coming back with a vengeance, leggings will remain one of the hottest items, and shorts are definitely here to stay in every length. Hoodies and t-shirts were seen throughout the show, but with variations such as cut out backs and bright colours. Another trend that we'll be seeing more of is knee socks! Very cute, but may not look quite right if you're over 24 (but I'm still gonna try to pull it off!)Shawna Olsten is an organizer of the DC Women show, and I spoke to her about DC's role in BC Fashion Week.
"You can't deny that skateboarding and street style has influenced fashion. A lot of skateboard companies have done a good job with hoodies and t-shirts, but DC has come up with a full cut and sew collection with footwear integrated into every single item," Olsten said. "We're not pulling away from skateboarding, but Fashion Week is just a way to put the women's line on a pedestal and showcase that side of the brand."BC Fashion Week runs until Sunday, so there's still lots to see!