Recap: Fashion Has No Borders

The first of its kind, here in Calgary, Fashion Has No Borders showcased Canadian talent in the fashion industry  March 20th. Fantastic is the only word to describe this event. With Jeanne Beker from Fashion Television as the host, who could ask for more?

All the latest accessories, clothing, hair and skin care products along with health services one can imagine were available. Medicine Hat’s Twinkle Dolls was quite the attraction with women squeezing past one another to take a closer look at all the colourful shimmering accessories of rings and bracelets. It is a shame they are not in Calgary!

Since the return of leggings and tights, Colour Me Chic was definitely a booth worth visiting; some of the most radical patterns were featured with animal prints as well as bold colours such as gold. Can anyone say Austin Powers?

As people perused the various booths, multiple runway shows of various lines such as Chi Chi Couture were featured. To make things even more exciting, an extensive dance performance of various genres captured the audience’s attention; it made you want to get up out of your seat and join them because of the energy they brought. Following this performance was the Every Women Competition: a model scouting.

This scouting first took place at Crossiron Mills where 30 women participated. Ten women were chosen to compete at the Fashion Has No Borders Expo. An extensive set of prizes would be offered to the winner, one being a year long contract with the Ben Barry Agency.

Unlike most model scouting competitions, these ten women were not solely judged on their walk, but personality as well. A series of three questions were asked relating to their character posed by a panel of judges that included none other than Jeanne Beker, 2009’s Miss Canada Shannon Smadella and Lynda Parcells of Calgary Radio Group. Moji won the competition. When answering the questions, she captured the judges and audience with her genuine passion. How great it is for a model to be seen as an actual person with feelings!

Daniela Codreanu

Photos by David Austin