Alberta Fashion Week Day 5 – Part 2 from Calgary Fashion on Vimeo.

After days of hardened ready-to-wear collections full of glaring colour, exaggerated silhouettes and a overlying connotation of sex, designer Sara Chalupnicek brought sophistication and charm to Alberta Fashion Week with her Spring/Summer collection Divka.

Prettiness is not commonly used to describe women’s fashion since international runways have been overtaken by armored footwear, hefty jewelry, and the prevailing bondage motif.  For those who yearn the days of elegance, when women spent hours preparing to go out and opted for timeless floor-sweeping dresses, Chalupnicek’s collection is perfect.

Chalupnicek’s collection presented a soft intermingling of glistening fabrics, lace, and silks in delicate greens, purples, pinks, and warm grays. Divka began with an A-line peach skirt with a white macrame overlay and transitioned into more formal attire.  Interest in Chalupnicek’s designs peeked when a pale pink and warm gray full-length dress with a zip bow detail, which trailed behind the model on the runway.

Divka continued to captivate the audience with beaded hemlines and waists but just when the audience thought they had seen it all, Chalupnicek released her most striking design onto the runway – a voluminous pale pink strapless taffeta dress, split down the middle to reveal a warm gray lace mini skirt, edged in black satin, finished with a black bow and glorified by remainder of the lace which poured out onto the model’s arms.

Whispers erupted and many women stared at awe as their perfect ‘princess dress’ swept down the runway.

Divka was a feast for the eye; Chalupnicek’s unwavering eye for detail left the audience wanting to chase the models down the runway.

Overall, the collection presented a clearly defined and branded collection that was unique to Chalupnicek’s design aesthetic.

Divka presented a strong balance between simplicity and embellishment, sexiness and classiness that is hard to create in twelve designs. From the first design to the last, Chalupnicek defined her brand and kept consistent throughout the show, highlighting her maturity as a fashion designer.

Words by Melissa Wusaty

Photos by Faby Martin © 2009