Megan Mackenzie Jones from Mackenzie Jones stole the show in terms of eccentricity. Her “wearable art” collection – Fatal Seduction – was the most peculiar yet beautiful spectacle at Alberta Fashion Week with its odd mix of seductive, dark and fairy-tale-like elements.

Her show was captivating to watch although the term “wearable art” is –at some level – contradictory: when it comes to Jones’ creations, nothing is really suitable to wear on an average day. On the other hand, I think it was exactly what she was aiming for: a fashion statement completely disconnected from reality.

Jones’ dreamy garments were showcased in an interpretative dance resembling a Narnia-esque novel set in an enchanted forest. Male models danced a little stiffly and clumsily (perhaps explained by the tightness of their pants) while female models delivered solid, in-character performances and floated across the runway like fairies.

The fauna seemed to be a main inspiration behind Jones’ collection: antlers and horns of all sizes were incorporated into models’ outfits  – around their necks, carefully placed on a furry black chocker, on their shoulders and on the fur- and wing-like decorated body straps male models wore. Floral patterns were also a recurrent theme. The floor-length silk dress embedded with real white roses at its base and the carefully designed flower crown graciously sported by one of the models released a sweet aroma in the air that caught everyone’s attention.

Jones, who grew up in Cochrane, AB,  said she got most of her inspiration from the Canadian wilderness and although her creations seem a little out there for the fashion world, they make for a unique genre that will captivate audiences beyond the catwalk.

Words by Claire Miglionico

Photography by Eymeric Widling

Typical Calgary: there’s a spring fashion show and it’s a blizzard outside.

But the Core shopping centre downtown made the sun shine with a preview of new spring lines from a few of their retailers.

Flowing skirts, jumpers, and loose on the body shirts were the main focus from this season’s collections. And so it should, it’s spring. Let’s not be so uptight.

But everything needs balance and a lot of the loose pieces were paired with form: voluminous shirt went with a pencil skirt and curve-hugging button-up with an airy skirt. Structure was brought in with the use of formal wear and the classic trench coat, cut shorter for the season.

Scarves in vivid blue and peachy-pink were used as a splash of colour on muted tones. This is clearly the go-to accessory for any spring wardrobe. Chunky necklaces also made an appearance.

The show also featured an innovative wearable art component using cuisine from the businesses in the food court as the inspiration but with a fantastic couture twist, which included the talents of Adejoke and Carl Abad.

It was a colourful feast for the eyes and a reminder that the season has changed. So should our clothes.

Words & Photography by Vanessa Conley

On November 5, ACAD’s Wearable Art – Object and Body Class transformed the packed and pulsating Art Central into a pillar performance space.  Attendees at Regalia were given front-row access to the three-tiered runway to sample the freshest perspectives in Calgary fashion.

Barbara Wordon literally made a meal out of her materials by setting the perfect table for one.   A well-structured, table-cloth gown was the base for a royal blue, folded-napkin sash – complete with cutlery tucked into its crisp fold – and what better crown for a delish-Princess than a silver platter serving up appetizing morsels.

Lindsay Joy and Jennifer Akkerman used the 20^th century suit as the canvas on which to create.  Joy did an Elizabethan remix on the contemporary corporate stable by stuffing the flutes of a nouveau neck-ruff with purple tulle, while Akkerman set the 3-piece-suit decidedly askew by drowning her male model in a parachute-sized striped tie.

Some artist’s pieces were more performative, like Ashley Q who sent a lithe elephant down the runway with a safari-woman hot on her trails.  Wearing a grey, strapless silk mini and a pellet of bullets serving as the elephant’s trunk, she created tension between her two models by giving the animal ammunition, but the armed hunter the weapon.

The remainder of the show dramatically teetered between light and dark; with some artists favouring a feminine fit built from natural fibres while others had a sharper edge by incorporating spiky-lines and sturdy-materials.

Bandeau tops, bellies and over-the shoulder accessories were the focus of Georgia Lee and Ashleigh Amber Moore’s pieces. Lee’s ocean-beauties wore aquamarine skirts with mini logs of raw driftwood draping off bare shoulders and Moore’s bandeau-babes floated under weighty, teardrop glass. Completing Moore’s look was hair set in large, parallel rollers, turning her models into tubular-Medusas.

Goddesses draped in vibrant, free-floating fibres descended from the Heavens in Jodie Stevens’ pieces entitled “Transflow” while Rebecca Taylor and Georgia Lee played with Mother Earth herself by showcasing raw fibres and feathers (Taylor), neutral tones, twigs and flowers (Lee).  The real showstopper was Amy Malbeuf’s bathing beauties who appeared to be emerging fresh from the sea, wearing shimmering swimsuits with huge neckpieces that were constructed to look like a shoreline brimming with beach activities.  Topping it all off with multi-coloured beads, leaves & feathers draping from the neckpieces, the overall effect was stunning and playful.

Mixed in with these breezy, delicate pieces were garments constructed from more rigid materials.  Highlights included Leo Casuga Jr.’s DJ femme-fatales whose LP corsets and turntable skirts made everyone’s head spin and the fan favourites, Sam Huskisson and Nick Ward, who rocked post-apocalyptic worlds. One of Huskisson’s well-armed models was suited in grey, reflective leggings and black, Lego-like war-gear and Ward’s wild-duo descended the runway in structured leather garments and gas masks with fangs.  Anna Cunningham’s male models closed the show with a fantastic-flourish: wearing only boxer-briefs, their taught bodies were the sturdy foundation for the spectacular webbed-architecture that extended from their fit-frames.

The entire show was a flavourful taste of what ACAD’s Wearable Art class has been up to this season.  The fact that the pieces were so vibrant and rich made them the treat of the evening.

Words by Amy Strilchurk

Photos by David Austin © 2009

Dee Fontans in original wearable art creations.

What better way to celebrate the 5^th Anniversary celebration of Calgary’s monthly culture crawl (a.k.a.: First Thursday) than by having art walk on two legs?  Art Central, the Mecca of Calgary’s visual art scene, will literally be bringing sculpture to life when 47 pieces of Wearable-Art descend the open-air staircase in a fantastical catwalk of Galliano-proportion.

Set to hit the runway at 8pm on November 5, Art Central is saving the much-anticipated show, Regalia, for last.  Showcasing the work of ACAD’s Wearable Art – Object and Body Class, Regalia will show the work of 18 students, all guided by the force that is Calgary-based artist Dee Fontans.

Fashion designer, jeweler, enamellist, performance artist and instructor, Fontans is a multi-tasking artist who juggles her tools and her time with her own Calgary brand of Zen.  Fontans is both an ambitious entrepreneur and a mellow soul. “Mentorship is a privilege. It provides stability in my life and allows enough time for me to seek out my own opportunities,” says Fontans of how she balances mentorship with her own artistic career:  By responding to open calls or invites for exhibitions, Fontans keeps her own artistic impulses alive by ensuring she continues to articulate her own point of view; fitting about one exhibition a month into her teaching schedule.

Dee’s work is primarily “concerned with the female figure and the body, as an interactive context for garment design and performance.”
“Everything we create has an impact on people” says Fontans.  Fontans ensures that her students are aware of this by encouraging them to be socially engaged artists and reminds them that they have a social responsibility within their practice.

At the beginning of the term, Fontans brings historical references to class, overviews various materials and discusses each student’s personal practice.  Then striking while the needle and thread are hot, makes sure that the students act on their first impulse because by the second week of the class, an object is made.  “It’s very quick in terms of what’s produced,” says Fontans.

While students act on instincts, Fontans has a unique practice that ensures that they remain self-aware, every step of the way.  “They’re required to write statements about their passion for personal understanding of what they’re making.  Even though artists are communicators through their medium, the artist also needs to know who to articulate that message or point of view through words.  So writing becomes the foundation on which they create their pieces.”

And how does Dee assess the process, the artist and the art?  “I’m not a believer in perfection. Perfection can paralyze.  I believe in being a peak performer because depending on time and skill, I strive to do my best.  This is what allows me to continue learning.”

Fontans has learned a lot about herself as an artist, over the years.  She recounts her time at the Parson’s school of Design in New York City, as an example of one her biggest learning-curves.  “There was this one time, back when I was a pretty impulsive person, where I was working on a garment at 3am and I just started cutting fabric.  It was just a bad decision. I just knew I shouldn’t be a fashion designer at that point in my life. The next day, I redirected my creative studies at Parsons and went into designing jewelery as my artistic focus”.

A series of events would bring the artist back to fashion, full-circle, with a few new skills in tow.  “Jewelry making came into my life and it taught me patience with myself and my materials.  Then an accident challenged me again: I caught my hand in a machine and broke my hand in 3 places.”  The massive cast prevented her from working with clasps and chains so she let other materials be her guide. “I was making rubber necklaces that would drape to the waist and gigantic hats made out of wire.”

From playing with new materials, the romance with fashion was rekindled and Fontans began creating garments in new ways; ways that have become the backbone of her work and have infused the work of some of Calgary’s hottest emerging artists.

Words by Amy Lynn Strilchuk

For more information about Dee Fontans go to: www.deefontans.com

The Wearable Art class will present Regalia, Thursday, November 5, 2009 at Art Central.