Jensa F/W 2010

When Jenn Sedzak took center stage at Alberta Fashion Week to talk about her new line, she declared her main inspiration as Alice In Wonderland. It’s an auspicious and risky start for such a young designer. After all, the recent film is still fresh in people’s minds, with every Tom, Dick and Jane rioting over the inaccuracies and tackiness of the film.

More often than not, such ambitions end up either underwhelming, or rendering themselves as overtly gaudy. For this reason, we applaud this young designer who knows how to mix fashion with fantasy. Allowing her own ideas and imagination to permeate her designs, Ms. Sedzak created a stand out collection just on the other side of normal.

The new Jensa Fall/Winter line certainly exuded Wonderland flair. Checkered patterns and a distinct Victorian influence on line and cut would go perfectly at high tea or a royal croquet tournament. A more poignant point of reference however, may be a modern revisionist sock hop. Polka dots abound in deep satin blues, and knee high socks to match, with nary a neck left naked.

The strong lines of these creations were made to empower and celebrate the female form, accentuating and hugging curves. The first half of the show seemed to be perfectly tailored to a rowdy diner on a Friday night, or a drag race to dead man’s curve.

Slowly however the designs began to devolve back through time. Bustiers became a staple, before being overtaken by Juliette sleeves and a modified waste coat. It all culminated with one perfect mixture of influence and ingenuity in a two piece summer chemise and drawer ensemble, modeled after Victorian undergarments.

This was Ms. Sedzak’s first time unveiling her designs to our fair city, having moved to Calgary only 9 months ago from Toronto. A bold new line to announce her arrival and one of her final pieces, a sequin red and black checkered pencil skirt, won’t easily be forgotten.

The boisterous line was only enhanced under the shimmering lights, opting for the glitter of sequins and satin to dazzle the crowd. With a slightly fantastical line that will send you tumbling down the rabbit’s hole and away from your own rigid reality, Ms. Sedzak has just begun to find her groove, and we at Calgary Fashion look forward to seeing where she takes us next.

Levi Meaden

Photos by Isabelle Jackson