Emogene Couture F/W 2010

March Madness was a phrase too truthful for Michelle Baynes of Emogene Couture, who showcased her work for the very first time at Alberta Fashion Week this year. A few weeks earlier, she was able to show her line at Calgary’s own PARK Show.

Baynes has been designing and sewing wedding dresses for many years, but decided to branch out and create a line that was catered to every day use, as well as flexing her own sense of creativity.

The name of the line was created from a mix of many personal components, including Emma, her mother’s name. After playing around with the words and sounds she came up with Emogene Couture. Baynes stresses the importance of the name, “I also thought about it in terms of imagine, a very similar type word and just imagine the potential.”

She describes her line by saying, “The kind of clothing I like to make is very feminine. I like vintage detailing. I feel very inspired by like the 40s, 50s, 60s.” Baynes creates clothing that fits in the day to day, with a twist of originality.

This designer has made it her mission to adhere to timeless shapes and styles. “I want to design clothing that stands the test of time” she explains. Fashion changes constantly, but some trends are timeless, cycling and reappearing in revitalized reincarnations. Baynes does not want her line to be relevant for only one season, but for every piece to be a classic piece that remains in your wardrobe for years to come.

For her runway show, the designs were a mixture of sophisticated tops paired with high waist, fitted skirts, a classic grey skirt suit and flowy summer dresses.Her dresses were delightfully colourful. One design in particular stood out; a strapped light blue dress embellished with peacock feathers acting as am ample belt.

The pockets detailing on two of her other dress designs was elaborate, with a black satin number boldly paired with vibrant floral pockets, the other a charcoal Hepburn esque tailored dress with peacock feathered pockets. The attention to detail in this collection creates a sense of unity that will help define this elegantly feminine designer.