If you were left wondering if the full length party dress was a relic of the past, let designer Cindy Renée Mathieu and her line Sodaliscious take you on a trip.  Mathieu, Academy of Design graduate and member of the Toronto Fashion Incubator, closed Alberta Fashion Week with her Spring/Summer collection for the modern day Marie Antoinette.

Sodaliscious, developed around the concept “that every person is unique and ‘so delicious’ in their own way” delivered an array of party dresses and formal attire inspired by flowers.  Mathieu’s flower motif manifested itself in printed silks, individually sewn flower details that gave dresses a dimensional texture, to flowing fabrics that referenced flowers waving in the wind.  Sodaliscious was an amalgamation of dresses, that ranged from vintage to contemporary in an assortment of colours and styles that would appeal to a vast client base.

Mathieu is no doubt an accomplished designer; many of her designs flaunted intricate techniques, applications and manipulations of fabric many of Alberta Fashion Week’s younger designers failed to accomplish. Mathieu also displayed an innate understanding of how to pair fabrics with design; this was most apparent in one dress where the swirl of the  patterned chiffon punctuated the reverse draping underneath.

So who is the Sodaliscious woman? A woman who likes to dress up without shame and a lady that doesn’t mind the attention a Sodaliscious dress demands.

The collection, however, was fragmented and appeared more as presentation than a series.  The flower motif loosely strung the dresses together but quickly fractured when the avant-garde followed classic. Sodaliscious would have commanded a stronger presence if it had focused on one genre of formal wear, rather than multiple. Calgary Fashion would have liked to have seen variations on Mathieu’s strapless, purple and pink dress adorned with falling leaves that fell into a heap at the hem and less of her simple designs that could be found in any big box store over the holidays.

AFW’s finale left some confused, considering the ample talent that could have ended the week with local flare. Mathieu’s Spring/Summer collection was strong but fell short as AFW’s closing show. Calgary Fashion thought the designer was too unknown and separated from Alberta’s fashion industry, however, it is hard to ignore how difficult it is to find local designers with accomplished careers who would showcase their collections at a sophomore fashion week.

It is impressive that AFW has attracted seasoned designers like Mathieu and Calgary Fashion predicts the event will attract more in coming year but it would be nice to finally celebrate a local designer who has achieved success and acclaim at AFW.

Words by Melissa Wusaty

Photos by Oscar Lopez © 2009